Australia’s swashbuckling opening batter David Warner is relieved that the constant ‘flak’ he has copped since the Newlands Sandpapergate saga will be put to rest once he bids adieu to T20 cricket at the end of the ongoing T20 World Cup. Warner has already retired from the other two formats.
Warner was held as the chief orchestrator of Sandpapergate, the 2018 scandal that cast a shadow over Australian cricket and led to wholesale changes within the national team’s culture and leadership. While Cameron Bancroft received a nine-month ban from the sport for rubbing sandpaper on the ball in Cape Town, Warner and Steven Smith were each handed a year’s ban.
Smith was also stripped of his captaincy while Warner was banned from holding any formal leadership role in Australian cricket, the only lasting sanction from the incident. On the verge of his final few weeks in international cricket, the 37-year-old opener reflected on his journey ahead of Australia’s clash against Bangladesh on Thursday, claiming he had been left to fend for himself in the aftermath of the infamous Sanpapergate scandal.
“Coming back since 2018 I’ve probably … been the only one that’s ever copped a lot of flak. Whether it’s people who don’t like the Australian cricket team or don’t like me, I’ve always been that person who has copped it,” Warner was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au in Antigua.
“It’s fine if they want to do that, but I always feel like I’ve taken a lot of pressure off a lot of guys as well and I think understandably I’ve been that person to be able to absorb that. But one can only absorb (so much). For me, it’s great to go out knowing I’m not going to cop it anymore.”
Warner hoped that the scandal won’t be the only thing for which he will be remembered but as someone who tried to change the game, more specifically Test cricket.
“I think it’s going to be inevitable that when people talk about me in 20 or 30 years’ time, there will always be that sandpaper scandal. But for me, if they’re real cricket tragics and they love cricket, (as well as) my closest supporters, they will always see me as that cricketer – someone who tried to change the game,” he said.
“Someone who tried to follow in the footsteps of the openers before me and try and score runs at a great tempo and change Test cricket in a way,” added Warner as he eyes the chance to finish a 15-year international career as a reigning T20I World Cup, ODI World Cup and World Test champion.