Sledging over ball-tampering spoils David Warner’s game, birthday

David Warner spent yesterday lunching with his wife Candice as another cricket controversy raged around him.

Warner left the field, telling the umpires he was “removing himself from the game”. Picture: Nine News

A shaken David Warner spent yesterday lunching with his wife, Candice Warner, as another cricket controversy raged around him.

The banished batsman left the field during a grade game on Saturday after comments from opposition player Jason Hughes, brother of the deceased Test player Phillip.

Clearly upset, Warner told umpires he did not want to continue batting and was “removing himself from the game”, but he was settled down by team management and was allowed to return and continue the innings.

Warner was in his 20s at the time and went on to score 157 as cameramen, reporters and cricket officials descended on the Pratten Park oval in Sydney’s inner west.

It was the batsman’s 32nd birthday on Saturday and he marked the day yesterday with his family.

Allegations from some at the ground that Hughes had made reference to his brother Phillip sparked controversy, but the family and club deny this and believe Warner misunderstood what was said.

Hughes said he said Warner was a “disgrace” and he didn’t think he should be playing while banned for ball-tampering.

His Western Suburbs club released a statement yesterday saying “there was no barrage of sledges aimed at David Warner by any WSDCC player … There was a brief exchange between Jason ­Hughes and David Warner.

Candice Warner reveals why David Warner walked off the field. #9SportsSunday pic.twitter.com/93Q5nARBSt

— Sports Sunday (@SportsSunday) October 27, 2018

“This exchange had nothing to do with Phil Hughes. This ­exchange was not vicious or abusive as alleged in some sections of the media. The WSDCC believes it has maintained integrity at all times and is fully supportive of Jason Hughes and all our players.”

The club said no report had been made by the umpires.

Candice Warner, who was at the ground with their children while her husband batted, spoke on television yesterday.

“I won’t go into the details yesterday but David was taken aback by the comments, and thought they went a little bit too far, so he decided to remove himself from the game,” she said on the Nine Network’s Sports Sunday. “He left the field because first of all he didn’t like what he was hearing and where that could have been taken. It was hurtful, very hurtful.”

The Hughes family were upset by player evidence at the 2016 inquest into Phillip’s death. Warner and others on the field that day denied NSW had sledged Phillip but that evidence was contradicted by another witness.

The family says it has moved on after their son’s death in 2014.

Warner was with Hughes when he was struck. He ran from the field to get assistance and stayed with his former teammate as doctors attempted to resuscitate him.

The late Phil Hughes.

CA stripped Warner of his leadership position and alleged he failed to “voluntarily report his knowledge of the plan after the match”, whereas Smith and Bancroft came clean.

Under the conditions of their 12-month bans, Warner and Smith are barred from representing Australia or taking part in the Sheffield Shield and Big Bash League but have been encouraged to play grade cricket.

When asked whether David Warner might temper his own approach to on-field sledging in the wake of Saturday’s incident, his wife said there was a difference between sledging and abuse and the confrontation with Jason Hughes had gone “too far.”

“David is passionate and he is an aggressive player,” Mrs Warner said. “That’s why he is one of the best players in his position because he is aggressive.”

Play was stopped for three minutes as the former Australian vice-captain was consoled in the dressing room. Picture: Nine News

“I think that David will have to be careful when he comes back but he won’t change his style of playing.”

Sports commentator and former Australian cricketer Mark Taylor told the panel he was concerned about the mood surrounding the game

“Even in grade cricket now we have people walking off the field and I don’t enjoy seeing that,” Taylor said. “Yes David and I have had disagreements about the way things have been handled in the past but sooner or later everyone in cricket has to get over it. We’ve got to start moving on.

“It’s a terrific game and I can’t get over how many people are talking it down at the moment and it worries me because I think the vast majority of people out there just want to go to the game.”

Dave Warner leaves the field. Picture: Nine News