David Warner to break his silence amid rumours he will quit

David Warner is set to break his silence amid speculation he may even retire from Test cricket.

Disgraced Australian opener David Warner looks through the window of his Sydney hotel suite yesterday. Picture: Matrix

The fallout from the ball tampering crisis is not done yet, with David Warner set to break his silence amid speculation he may even retire from Test cricket.

The 31-year-old is hurt and angry. He has been banned for 12 months from the game and for life from leadership roles.

Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft did press conferences on arrival in Australia on Thursday, but Warner issued a brief apology.

“At this present time, you’ll hear from me in a couple of days,” he said on Thursday.

“At the moment, my priority is to get these kids in bed and rest up and let my mind be clear so I can think and talk to you in a couple of days.”

Warner has received little sympathy but there are genuine concerns for his mental health after the crisis.

Those close to him are angry, saying he did not receive adequate support during the dramas surrounding him and his wife Candice in the first two matches.

He is said to be in a very dark place and was not sure whether he could play cricket again.

The Warner camp believe the opener is being held out as a lightning rod in the hope that the other pair could be rehabilitated.

Warner has lost personal sponsors, a $2.4m IPL contract and more in the immediate aftermath.

He was emotional and clinging to his children when he arrived back in Australia.

The dumped vice-captain has scheduled a press conference for this morning at the SCG, marking the first time he will take questions from the media since he allegedly instructed Bancroft to tamper with the ball in South ­Africa.

Warner was dealt with the harshest by Cricket Australia and has been painted as the villain of the affair.

Accused of developing the plan to use sandpaper to scuff the ball on the third day of the Cape Town Test against South Africa, investigators also alleged he advised Bancroft on the process and failed to voluntarily report his knowledge of the plan after the match.

He and Smith both copped 12-month suspensions while Bancroft was handed a nine-month ban, but Warner was banned from ever holding a position of leadership again.

Warner travelled back to Sydney separately from Smith, and reportedly removed himself from the team’s WhatsApp group chat last week as he split from the team. He will no doubt be asked if there has been previous tampering in the team, or if other members knew of last week’s plot. Both those instances were denied in CA’s findings.

All this will take place after the first day of a Wanderers Test that has virtually become a sideshow.

Additional reporting: AAP