We are still good mates: David Warner refutes rumours of Steve Smith fall out
Tainted Australian batsman David Warner returned to professional cricket in Canada's T20 league on Saturday and failed to get a good start like his fellow accused Aussie Steve Smith.
Smith smashed 61 off 41 balls upon playing for Toronto Nationals. Warner, on the other hand, playing for Winnipeg Hawks could only score one run. He took a single run by pushing Montreal Tigers' Peter Siddle's delivery to the leg side. But on the first ball of the second over by Lasith Malinga, he was dismissed.
It was Warner's first match since he, captain Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were banned by Cricket Australia in March for conspiring to scuff up the ball with sandpaper during the third test against South Africa. This ban does not extend to domestic tournaments outside Australia therefore both Smith and Warner were able to play in Canada.
The 31-year-old opening batsman revealed that he and Smith have been in touch and are regularly catching up in the week leading up to the T20 series.
The clarification after the reports surfaced that Warner stormed out of Australian team's WhatsApp group after Cricket Australia's Integrity Unit found him to be the mastermind behind the tampering row.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Warner revealed that he and Smith are 'good mates.'
"People are going to get that impression, but me and Steve, we’re good mates. If people hang in the hotel they’ll see us hanging out with each other and stuff. But at the end of the day it was a big thing that happened and for us you’ve got to handle it in your individual way and handle it collectively," he told the daily.
"We haven’t really been able to catch up because he’s been away. Cameron (Bancroft) has been in Perth and I’ve been doing what I’ve been doing, and I’ve got family at home."
Once again iterating that he is responsible for the entire debacle, Warner said that he will now move forward to play the best cricket he can.
from Daily News & Analysis https://ift.tt/2MxUYaQ
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