Finally, Cricket Australia calls time on ‘attack dog’Warner’s brand of bullying

Redemption Road. For Warner, there is nothing. The announcement that he would never be considered for captaincy again was especially telling.

The silences and deflected answers in the Warner press conference were even more revealing, especially when he was asked if others were involved in the plot and if it was the first time Australia had done such a thing on the field.

If those advising Warner, legally and otherwise, decide that he has no international future — and the tune Cricket Australia has been humming suggests as much — they could well ask him to come clean in an exclusive media appearance. If he did, what he had to say could cause huge embarrassment to his former teammates and board officials.

Sutherland has banged on about the “spirit of cricket” in recent days. Those words were dropped from Cricket Australia’s strategic plan in 2017. As Gideon Haigh wrote in The Australian: “At times over the years, CA has given the appearance of caring little about the sport’s image, except as a brand or product. One was reminded this last week of the conference five years ago where CA’s commercial chief, Ben Amarfio, argued that controversy in sport was not a problem — it could even be advantageous.”

Now Warner, who in addition to his “ball maintenance” duties was also the team’s attack dog, is the one they are trying to put down.

“I know there are unanswered questions,” tweeted Warner after his tear-filled media conference. “In time, I will do my best to answer them all.”

For half a decade, Warner set the tone for Australia with both his bat and caustic tongue. He is unlikely to go quietly now.