David Warner has been disciplined by Cricket NSW for failing to show up for grade cricket on the weekend, but the Australian opener will only be suspended if he slips up again.
The suspended one-match ban is in place for the rest of the one-day and Sheffield Shield season, after Blues chief executive Andrew Jones expressed his disappointment that Warner didn’t field for club side Randwick-Petersham against Northern Districts on Saturday.
After meeting with Jones on Tuesday, it was also determined Warner must play the next two Saturdays of grade cricket for Randwick-Petersham and the third Saturday if Ryobi Cup commitments allow.
He must also undertake two visits to other grade clubs to promote Transport NSW’s anti-drink driving campaign.
Warner said at the time he believed he was acting appropriately by preferring a net session on Saturday to fielding for the grade side.
“I believed I was doing the right thing by focusing on my training and batting,” Warner said.
“But in hindsight I should have played. I remain determined to score runs for NSW and Australia and am also looking forward to taking the field for Randy-Petes this round.”
Media reports have also suggested that in addition to his batting session, Warner later attended a race meeting in Sydney on Saturday.
Cricket NSW boss Jones says it’s a contractual obligation for players to turn out in club cricket when the state and international schedule allows.
“This has been an unfortunate episode. Like most cricket fans, I and all at Cricket NSW would like nothing more than to see David Warner achieve his potential on and off the field,” he said.
“However, in order to do this David needs to ensure that he is doing the right things and working closely with the organisation in all areas.
“We believe the suspended sentence demonstrates our good faith and gives David the opportunity to prove his commitment to NSW fans and stakeholders, including the grade clubs.
“We are hopeful that this is the last incident of this nature so that David and Cricket NSW can focus solely on cricket for the remainder of the season.”
It’s been an eventful year for Test star Warner.
The 26-year-old was disciplined by Cricket Australia for a Twitter tirade against journalists prior to the Champions Trophy.
Warner was then stood down during the Champions Trophy and as a result ousted from the first two Ashes Tests after punching England rival Joe Root in a Birmingham nightclub.