After Steve Smith, David Warner Breaks Down At Post Ball-Tampering Press Conference

David Warner broke down at a press conference while addressing the ball-tampering scandal he had been involved in. After former Australian skipper Steve Smith, it was time for the former Australian vice-captain to take complete responsibility and unconditionally apologize for his action.

During his press conference, David Warner did not talk about the people who might have been aware of the ball-tampering plan, nor did he talk about his relationship with his teammates and with Cricket Australia.

Instead, he discussed his personal feelings regarding the incident. As Warner was struggling to speak at the press conference, his wife Candice sobbed while watching him. He said that he had no plans to retire as of now. No matter how unlikely it may seem, he still has a “a tiny ray of hope” to play for his country again, The Guardian reported.

“But, I am resigned to the fact that that may never happen.”

Cricket Australia carried out an investigation into the ball-tampering scandal. It was found that David Warner was responsible for giving a tutorial to youngster Cameron Bancroft on how to use sandpaper for ball tampering. According to the investigation, Smith was also aware of the plan but did nothing to prevent it to happen during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

For some, David Warner is more responsible than the other two involved in the infamous incident. Former English skipper Michael Vaughan earlier wrote that he had no sympathy for Warner even though he feels for the other two.

“The fact that he had also shown him how to do so – by using sandpaper to scuff one side of the ball – suggests to me that this was not the first time he had done it,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Vaughan as saying.

Steve Smith earlier had a tearful press conference where he referred to the ball-tampering incident as a “serious error of judgment.” According to 9News, Smith called it a failure of his leadership. He also vowed to do everything possible to make it up for his mistake.

Cricket Australia has slapped a 12-month ban on Smith and Warner. They have also been banned from the prestigious Indian Premier League. At IPL 2018, Steve and Warner were supposed to lead Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively.