HALES REPLACES WARNER IN SUNRISERS HYD SQUAD
March 31: Former Test vice-captain David Warner said he realised he may never play for his country again as he tearfully apologised Saturday over a ball-tampering scandal which has had deep repercussions for Australian cricket.
As stand-in captain Tim Paine signalled a new approach with a prematch handshake between the teams at the fourth Test in Johannesburg, Warner became the third disgraced Australian player to make an emotional appearance in front of media.
The usually pugnacious batsman, 31, repeatedly struggled to talk and tears ran down his face as he apologised to fans, team-mates, his family and the Australian public.
But he also evaded questions about whether the ball-tampering plot was his idea, whether it was the first time, who else was aware of it and whether he had been made a scapegoat.
Warner, 31, told a media conference in Sydney: “I can honestly say I have only wanted to bring glory to my country through playing cricket.
“In striving to do so I have made the decision which has had the opposite effect and it’s one that I will regret for as long as I live.”
Warner’s appearance comes after similar heartfelt apologies from opening batsman Cameron Bancroft and captain Steve Smith, who broke down when he faced the media on Thursday.
Coach Darren Lehmann, convinced to step down after seeing the anguished statements New Delhi, March 31: Dashing England batsman Alex Hales will replace banned Australian opener David Warner in the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad for the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League.
Hales was bought for his base price of Rs one crore as a replacement for 31-year-old Warner, who was barred from taking part in IPL-2018 by the BCCI after Cricket Australia (CA) handed him a one-year ban for his role in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
“The Sunrisers Hyderabad have picked Alex Hales as the replacement for David Warner,” an IPL statement said.
“The opening batsman from Bancroft and Smith, was also tearful as he announced his resignation.
Smith and Warner were banned from international and domestic cricket for a year and Bancroft was suspended for nine months.
Bancroft was caught on camera trying to use yellow sandpaper to alter the ball, an offence which triggered an outpouring of criticism from home and abroad against the hard-nosed Australian team.
Isolated figure Warner, a dynamic batsman but a divisive figure in the game, has was bought for his base price of INR 1 crore from the Registered and Available Player Pool (RAPP) list.”
Hales is the first and only England player till date to score a T20I century. He is also the topranked English player and the only one to feature in the top-10 list of the ICC T20I rankings.
— PTI appeared isolated after he was charged by Cricket Australia with developing the plot and telling Bancroft to carry it out.
“I suppose there is a tiny ray of hope that I may one day be given the privilege of playing for my country again, but I am resigned to the fact that may never happen,” Warner said.
He also signalled a possible appeal when he said: “That’s something that I will continue to sit down with my family and weigh up all my considerations before I make any decisions.”
A report Saturday said Bancroft was set to lodge an appeal and had sought legal advice. The deadline for appeals is on Thursday.
With his wife, Candice, crying as she watched from the back of the room, Warner stonewalled requests for more details about the incident and his relationship with the team.
“I am here today to accept my responsibility for my part and my involvement for what happened in Cape Town,” Warner said, using a formulation he repeated several times.
“It’s inexcusable, I am deeply sorry. I will do everything I can to earn back the respect of the Australian public.”
— AFP