Lack of leadership root cause of Warner’s woes
DAVID Warner’s punch thrown at England batsman Joe Root wasn’t the only time the Australian batsman has been seen out late drinking during the Champions Trophy tournament in England.
And, while Warner’s immediate cricketing future is in limbo pending last night’s Cricket Australia (CA) disciplinary hearing by teleconference hookup to Melbourne, the affair has raised concerns about a possible leadership vacuum in the national squad.
Stand- in captain George Bailey acknowledged on Wednesday he knew about the Warner-Root incident days earlier but described it as ‘‘very minor’’.
His admission raises questions why CA waited until the morning of their match against New Zealand on Wednesday to act and stand Warner down, charging him with unbecoming conduct.
After the retirement of senior players Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey and with skipper Michael Clarke getting treatment on his back in London, there appears to have been a leadership breakdown.
Several eyewitnesses close to another national team at the Champions Trophy confirmed Warner was also out until the early hours of Tuesday morning – less than 36 hours before the crucial clash with New Zealand.
‘‘Our bar staff are quite familiar with David’s face,’’ said John Creighton, manager of Birmingham’s The Walkabout bar where the incident occurred on Saturday night.
It’s fair to say Australia’s Ashes preparations are in turmoil and, if Australian management officials are to be consistent in trying to stamp out ill-discipline, Warner can expect firm punishment.
Although the Australian camp says the Warner-Root incident was minor, CA set a precedent for hard-line action when standing down four players, including Shane Watson, on the tour of India in March for not submitting opinions on how to improve the team.
In the media spotlight for all the wrong reasons, David Warner’s future is in jeopardy.