New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has expressed his stand for the disgraced Australian player David Warner as Kane said that “he is not a bad person”. Williamson also said that during the whole ball-tampering fiasco. The fall-out to the ball-tampering episode has resulted in the Australian opener and Steven Smith getting suspended for 12 months along with Cameron Bancroft for nine.
Apart from the one year ban, Warner has also been banned for life from being considered for leadership ever in Australian cricket. Williamson is a teammate of Warner in the IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and David being the captain of the side, they share a great camaraderie, but now, in the wake of Warner’s ban, BCCI has decided to ban him from IPL 2018 as well.
Also read: Lehmann finally speaks out about the ball-tampering incident
Talking about Warner, Williamson said, “I’ve sent a few texts, that’s about it. He’s not a bad person by any means. Through what’s eventuated in recent times, there’s been a lot of emotion and energy pointed at certain players which have gone to extreme lengths. It will blow over in time, but its grown and grown and like I say he’s not a bad guy. He’s made a mistake and certainly admitted that and they are disappointed with that action. They will have to take the strong punishment and move on. You always learn from tough lessons and I’m sure they’ll do that. But it is a shame that two fantastic, world-class players have made a mistake.”
One the sanctions on the trie were confirmed by the Cricket Australia, the Australian coach Darren Lehmann spoke for the first time since the incident in Cape Town, he acknowledged the fact that certain amount of changes were required in the team. Lehmann also gave the example of the Blackcaps whose style on and off the field as worth following. Williamson agreed that the perception of the Kiwi players was very important to them, something introduced by Brendon McCullum when he was captain.
Describing the environment created by McCullum, Williamson said, “He [McCullum] was huge in that respect. Setting an environment where we wanted to play the game a certain way and it was reflected in the way we went about our business on the field, but the work went in off the field as well. That’s really important and can be hard to judge because it’s not always tangible, but it is so important – the team environment and culture. For us, it’s about how we want to play the game and that’s important to us. Its been a part of our environment for some time and we want to maintain that.”
Also read: Warner Loses Sponsorship Deal Due To Ball-Tampering Episode
However, the English skipper, Joe Root reckons that the harsh sanctions imposed on the Australian trio will send a clear message to world cricket. He said, “I think Cricket Australia has made a decision which is a bit of a statement to world cricket really. I think it just shows that everyone watching the game, and anyone who supports cricket, supports how they want to see the game played. In terms of the bans, that’s a decision Cricket Australia had to make – and that’s for them to decide. I think it’s quite a strong message for everyone.”
The repercussions of the controversy have continued as Test title sponsors Magellan has ended their one year into a three-year contract. Even Warner has also lost a personal endorsement deal with electronics company LG.
