The former Australian opener David Warner could face terrible repercussions amid his recent drunk and drive case in Sydney. He has been a brilliant performer across franchise cricket leagues around the world but he could be sacked off captaincy from the Sydney Thunder. David Warner was appointed as the captain of the Karachi Kings in the PSL. However, the Australian had taken some time off and went to Australia to spend time with his family. That’s when he was charged for a drink and drive case.
David Warner is expected to appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on May 7 and the Cricket New South Wales has been put into a difficult position. Cricket NSW director Lee Germon had respected the situation but didn’t speak further on the pending legal processes.
Court hearing looms as past controversies and franchise values put Warner’s leadership future in doubt
"I can't say too much (about Warner's alleged drink-driving incident) because of the legal side of it. The allegations, of course, are concerning and we take them very seriously," Germon was quoted as saying by The West Australian. "At Cricket NSW, we are strong advocates for safe driving, not drink-driving. We educate our players a lot in that area and we will support David through this process, knowing there's a court case coming up, but also look to educate our players even more on this really important matter," said Lee Germon.
The Sydney Thunder has been in a long-standing partnership with the Transport of New South Wales in promoting road safety. Their annual match against the Brisbane Heat is named as the Road Safety Cup. Taking into consideration the efforts of the franchise to maintain social responsibility, the inclusion of David Warner could be in direct contrast. David Warner’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.104, which is double the allowed limit. The franchise could attract a lot of negative attention from its fans if it decides to take a stand for David Warner.
It wasn’t the first time that David Warner was involved in such a conspiracy and he had faced strict restrictions from Cricket Australia before. After the ball tampering incident involving Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, there was a ban on appointing these players as captains. This ban was lifted recently to allow David Warner to captain the Sydney Thunder.
As of now Cricket New South Wales is treating this case as allegations, as nothing has been proven yet. However, the verdict of the case will stand crucial in determining the future of David Warner as he could be stripped of captaincy, as his actions directly contradict the franchise’s social image.
