the veteran Australian opener, David Warner expressed that he has let the country down but had people who stuck with at all times as he recalled the Sandpaper Gate because of which he got banned for a year. Warner and Ellyse Perry won the Allan Border Medal and Belinda Clark Medal respectively, making it the third such win for each at the Australian Cricket Awards on Monday.

Recalling his mistakes, Warner said, “I know I’ve let you guys down in the past. It’s just been remarkable to come back. With the World Cup, to not go the whole way was disappointing. The Ashes, retaining that was fantastic – I obviously didn’t turn up and I apologize for that – but I really had the hunger and determination to come back and do the best for our team.”

Warner said those 12 months away from cricket”really hurt” as he missed the game badly.

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The opener further added, “Having three daughters at home, looking up to guys like (Steve Smith) ‘Smithy’, (Pat Cummins) ‘Cummo’ – playing cricket in the backyard they’re yelling out Virat Kohli’s name – but these are the smiles on kids’ faces that we put on. To go back there and be able to be reintegrated into grassroots, go back to grade cricket, put a smile on people’s faces that way.”

An emotional @davidwarner31 accepts his third Allan Border Medal.

Great comeback, Bull! 🏅#AusCricketAward pic.twitter.com/VKUWaJ8m2V

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 10, 2020

Warner said Australian cricket was moving in the right direction. He also expressed that he is hoping that the money raised at the Bushfire Bash charity fundraiser match can contribute to the damage caused to wildlife and families due to the bushfires.

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The southpaw explained, “Obviously there were lives lost, wildlife lost and a lot of people’s homes have been trashed as well, so hopefully a little bit of the support that went down yesterday – and we raised a lot of money – can contribute to rebuilding that for you out there.”