JOIN USAustralian batsman David Warner’s altercation with England’s Joe Root has resulted in the opener being fined and suspended till the first Ashes Test.
Warner, who faced Cricket Australia Code of Behaviour on Thursday, pleaded guilty to the charge and was subsequently fined $11,500 and suspended from the remainder of Australia’s Champions Trophy campaign.
The opener will also miss Australia’s two tour matches before the first Ashes Test against Somerset and Worcestershire.
Warner allegedly threw a punch at Root during a brawl in a pub here following Australia’s game against England on Saturday. The England and Wales Cricket Board had described the incident as "an unprovoked attack."
Conflicting reports came from the two camps with regard to cause of the attack. Warner, it is believed, thought Root was impersonating Hashim Amla when wearing a false beard, but the English camp maintained that Root was making fun of himself and referring to taunts from his team-mates that he was too young to grow facial hair.
This is the second time in less than a month that Warner has pleaded guilty to breaching Rule 6 of the Code of Behaviour, which deals with "unbecoming behaviour." Following his Twitter spat with two Australian journalists, Warner had been fined by CA.
Australia’s stand-in captain George Bailey said the matter has been sorted out within the side. “It's been dealt with from my point of view. It's disappointing, but a very minor incident and it's been dealt with in‑house and that's it.”
Bailey said he enjoyed playing with Warner and that he had no issues at all with the left-hander. “I love playing cricket with him. I love his enthusiasm and his energy around the group. I love the way he plays. You know, I wish I had the talent that he does, and I think he's a particularly generous team-mate, very giving. I'm looking forward to hopefully playing a lot more cricket with him in whatever career I have.”