Cape Town: Love him or hate him, it doesn’t matter to him.
The only things that ever mattered to David Warner were cricket and family. He never did mind some spirit, fun on the beach, hiking up trails or stirring the pot on social media, but those were all done once he had served his purpose as a cricketer, as a husband, and as a father.
Warner never wanted to be idolised and seen as a role model. ‘Too much work’ he had said once when asked if he ever considered himself one.
His awareness was his liberation, and it’s safe to say that the man who walked away from Test cricket has delivered far more than anyone expected.
In 112 Tests, he finished with 8786 runs at an average of 44.59, a strike rate of 70.19, including 26 centuries and 37 half-centuries.
His body of work in the longest format is so impressive that you would assume Warner was made for it. That, however, can’t be further from the truth.
One of the greatest Australian batters to play Test cricket was never even supposed to play Test cricket.
Warner was fast-tracked into the Twenty20 International side in 2009 and the educated gamble paid off in the very first game as he hammered 89 from 43 balls against South Africa.
A few days later, he made his One-Day International debut. Not the best of starts there, but the selectors were fairly fond of this stout version of Adam Gilchrist. He had the same bat speed, he had that Aussie mouth on him, and he was as good a batter if not better. What’s not to like?
Well, Warner has had a history of disciplinary issues. He even punched Joe Root in an altercation at a bar in Birmingham. Oh, and he did play a part in the 2018 sandpaper-gate saga.
But, a look at how copped that blow on the chin tells you everything you need to know about Warner.
Warner even appeared unapologetic for his part in a seismic event which rattled Australian cricket. He told ESPNcricinfo: “….reflecting back on that whole period, my whole career, I have got no regrets because you are going to have a lot of hurdles you are going to have to jump. But you have to move forward and I have done that with dignity…making sure that I gained the respect back but making sure I am putting Australian cricket first."
That was in retrospect, but during the episode, he accepted his role, didn’t snitch on his team-mates (there was no way this ball-tampering episode unfolded without the knowledge of more members of the team), and kept his head down after being suspended for a year.
Warner got around to being a husband and a father. He expressed remorse when he had to and when it was asked of by the right people, but he wasn’t going to let that error in judgement ruin what was and what could be.
Eventually, he returned. Many fans didn’t like the fact that he was given another chance. Steven Smith and Cameron Bancroft got away easier than Warner did, but Warner didn’t make a show of it. He knew his way out was to go through.
Runs came quick, he smiled. When they didn’t, he smiled. Warner had learnt to take himself less seriously, and he had learnt to respect the game, and that evolution is what earned back his respect.
They don’t make cricketers like him anymore, those with that junkyard dog mentality, those who will most likely chew their limbs if they have to if that’s what it takes to win, those that will go any lengths to eventually be able to soak their baggy green in beer in champagne.
It’s an attitude which has led him to make some questionable decisions along the way, but his intention was never to hurt. His intention wasn’t to offend. His intention was to win, and he did plenty of that over the decade. He also did hurt and offend inadvertently.
Then again, who hasn’t?
Okay, maybe Dean Elgar hasn’t, but the South African opener admitted that he saw a lot of himself in Warner. Coincidentally, Elgar too played his last Test a couple of days ago.
Sitting at a pub with his team-mates and family by his side, Elgar was dressed in his South African training jersey trying to get as much beer into his system as he could.
He didn’t care that an entire section of the pub was littered with journalists. He even walked over and thanked everyone for their role in his career.
Somewhere amid all that bonhomie, he said: “You know it feels like the end of an era, Warner is going, I’m going, I’m sure more will soon enough, but I don’t think the coming generation will approach the game as we did. See, Warner for instance, what a mentality. People didn’t like him. Hell, a lot of cricketers didn’t like him, but having someone like him in the team makes you feel a bit invincible. He’s a hard-nosed b*****d, and I am too. That’s why we play the game that way.”
Elgar’s batting is nothing like Warner’s. It’s barely watchable for the most part, but Warner is fun even if he isn’t getting the runs. He’s box-office material, and he knows it.
Take his post-retirement press conference for instance. Warner was talking about his prep work for his final Test. “Just a casual walk up to the local cafe and get a cup of coffee with the young one. I just got into the car and packed a wine or two. Shouldn't say that too loud, I'll get in trouble.”
He knew exactly what he was doing but he did it anyway. Then he let go of the cheekiness and became emotional, saying: “(I would like to be remembered as) exciting, entertaining, and I hope I put a smile on everyone's face with the way that I played and hopefully the young kids out there can follow in my footsteps. White-ball cricket to Test cricket. It's the pinnacle of our sport. So keep working hard to play the red-ball game because it's entertaining as well."
Love him or hate him, it doesn’t matter to him. But do remember that he was only doing whatever it took to be exceptional at his job. Time, hopefully, will be kinder to Warner as people begin to see him for who he was rather than the wrongs he did.
If nothing else, look at his stats and acknowledge we were in the presence of greatness for over a decade. He isn't a perfect human, far from it, but he was a damn good Test cricketer.