Tom Wark July 22, 2026 – 12:13 p.m. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. TOTOTO Sydney Thunder’s David Warner’s captaincy could be in doubt after the opener star pleaded guilty to drink-driving. The high-profile cricketer was not required to appear at Waverley
Tom Wark
Sydney Thunder’s David Warner’s captaincy could be in doubt after the opener star pleaded guilty to drink-driving.
The high-profile cricketer was not required to appear at Waverley Local Court in Sydney on Wednesday, but his lawyer Bobby Hill said the batsman was admitting a charge of drink-driving on Easter Sunday.
“The parties are discussing the facts,” Hill said.
Warner tested positive for alcohol after he stopped before a road test in Sydney’s east on April 5.
When taken to Maroubra police station for a secondary test, the 39-year-old exceeded 0.104, more than double the legal blood alcohol limit.
Hill previously foreshadowed a guilty plea when the matter was first mentioned in May.
“He knows what he did was wrong,” she said at the time.
“He accepts that it was a reckless decision, a foolish decision to get into his car instead of taking an Uber.”
The Fox Cricket commentator had enjoyed three glasses of wine at a friend’s apartment before making that decision, Hill said.
“It is not a crime to have a glass of wine on the day of the Lord’s resurrection. In fact, some would consider it entirely appropriate,” he told reporters.
“His crime is, like I said, choosing a silly plan A instead of a plan B.”
Hill said Warner’s last drink was 11 minutes before police detained him.
The cricket star repented and asked for mercy, but expected to be punished like any other citizen would be, the lawyer said.
Warner’s sentencing was set for August 18.
Warner’s admission of guilt has cast doubt on his status as captain of the Thunder, who were contacted for comment after the plea was filed.
“The allegations are, of course, concerning and we take them very seriously,” Cricket NSW chief executive Lee Germon said after his arrest.
“At Cricket NSW, we are strong advocates of safe driving, not drink driving.”
The Thunder, along with the Sydney Sixers and NSW Blues, are part of a state government campaign to discourage drink-driving.
Warner was arrested while on an Easter trip home from the subcontinent, where he captained the Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League.
Warner, no stranger to headlines, was one of three Australian players suspended after a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in 2018 that shook the cricket world.
A Cricket Australia investigation found that Warner, who was vice-captain at the time, devised a plan to alter the condition of the ball with sandpaper and recruited rookie batsman Cameron Bancroft to carry it out.
Warner was banned from domestic and international cricket for 12 months and left permanently ineligible for team leadership positions.
In 2013, Warner was also involved in a high-profile brawl in Birmingham during which he punched future England captain Joe Root.
AAP
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