David Warner says he has unfairly “copped it” more than any other person for the infamous 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering scandal.
But he hopes his impending retirement from international cricket will allow him to fade away from public scrutiny and believes the criticism will eventually die down.
Warner, then-captain Steve Smith, and Cameron Bancroft were the only players to ever be punished for what was arguably the ugliest moment in Australian cricket history.
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South African broadcast cameras busted Bancroft using sandpaper to tamper with the match ball during a Test in early 2018, leading to all three players being banned and Warner copping a lifetime ban from any national leadership roles.
While Smith and Bancroft were contrite and apologetic in the immediate aftermath, and have since gone a long way to restoring their reputations in the eye of the public, Warner has carried a chip on his shoulder that remains to this day.
He’s spoken sporadically about the Cape Town incident over the years but it’s widely believed he will spill the beans properly in an autobiography once he retires and is no longer employed by Cricket Australia.
In January this year he said he had “no regrets” about his actions despite being accused of instructing a young Bancroft to tamper with the ball.
Speaking to News Corp and cricket.com.au reporters during the current World Cup, the fiery opening batter doubled down on his claim he has been unfairly treated.
“Coming back since 2018 I’ve probably … been the only one that’s ever copped a lot of flak,” Warner said.
“Whether it’s people who don’t like the Australian cricket team or don’t like me, I’ve always been that person who has copped it.
“It’s fine if they want to do that, but I always feel like I’ve taken a lot of pressure off a lot of guys as well, and I think understandably I’ve been that person to be able to absorb that.
“But one can only absorb [so much].
“For me, it’s great to go out knowing I’m not going to cop it any more.”
Warner has already finished his Test career, but is expected to hang up his Australian colours for good once the Twenty20 World Cup is finished.
While he seems unlikely to drop the topic of Cape Town any time soon – many are awaiting the aforementioned biography – he hopes others will eventually stop speaking about it.
“I think it’s going to be inevitable that when people talk about me in 20 or 30 years’ time, there will always be that sandpaper scandal,” he said.
“But for me, if they’re real cricket tragics and they love cricket, [and] my closest supporters, they will always see me as that cricketer – someone who tried to change the game … someone who tried to follow in the footsteps of the openers before me and try and score runs at a great tempo and change Test cricket in a way.”