One of Australia's greatest batters, David Warner, faces an uncertain sporting future after allegedly blowing double the legal limit on a breath test. The 39-year-old returned a positive result for alcohol after being stopped for a roadside test in Sydney's east on Easter Sunday, police said.
Warner allegedly parked short of the testing site when officers approached and breathalysed him. He was taken to Maroubra Police Station, where he recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.104, more than double the legal limit of 0.05. He was charged with mid-range drink driving.
If convicted, Warner faces a maximum fine of $2,200 and up to nine months in prison. He has not yet entered a plea, with his matter set for a first mention in Waverley Local Court on Thursday.
Uncertainty Over Sydney Thunder Captaincy
The charges have cast doubt on Warner's captaincy of the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League. Cricket NSW chief executive Lee Germon told reporters after the arrest that Warner's captaincy "will be worked through and remains to be seen."
"The allegations are of course concerning and we take them very seriously," Mr Germon said. "At Cricket NSW, we are strong advocates for safe driving, not drink-driving."
Warner's Recent Cricket Activities
Warner's arrest came while he was on an Easter trip home from the subcontinent, where he captained the Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League. He returned to Pakistan after his charging to resume the T20 tournament, where he averaged an impressive 51.2 with the bat. That included belting 89 not out off 48 balls in the Kings' last fixture against the Quetta Gladiators.
The charge came after Warner posted a record-breaking Big Bash League season, averaging 86.6 and being named team of the tournament captain. Warner was a swashbuckling opening batsman and aggressive run-scorer until his retirement from Test cricket in 2024. He has since appeared on pay TV as a commentator.
He scored 8,786 runs at an average of more than 44 across his 112 tests, with a career high score of 335 not out against Pakistan. But Warner created headlines for the wrong reasons when he was one of three Australian players suspended after a 2018 ball-tampering scandal in South Africa that shook the cricketing world.
A Cricket Australia investigation found Warner, who was vice-captain at the time, masterminded a plan to alter the condition of the match ball with sandpaper and enlisted rookie batsmen Cameron Bancroft to carry it out. Warner was banned from international and domestic cricket for 12 months and made permanently ineligible for team leadership positions.
