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Top David Warner Fights & Controversies in Cricket History

image-lqxqnaupAustralian star cricketer David Warner [Twitter]

Australian star cricketer David Warner calls it quits from One-Day International cricket (ODI’s) and Test matches, aiming to spend more time with his family. Throughout his Test career, he has had impressive performances for the mighty Australia. Warner has been a dynamic player contributing significantly to the team’s World Cup victories in 2015 and 2023. 

Reflecting on David Warner’s cricketing legacy, it is clearly evident that his career is not merely a collection of runs and victories but also a narrative filled with headline-grabbing controversies. 

Let's look at the top controversies that have shaped and developed the career of David Warner. 


Heated run-in between David Warner and Quinton de Knock 


Australian opener David Warner and South Africa batsman Quinton de Knock in 2023 faced charges from the International Cricket Council (ICC) for their heated off-field exchange during the first test in Durban. CCTV footage showed Warner apparently turning on De Knock as the players walked up a narrow staircase to the dressing rooms at the start of the interval in Durban in a match won by Australia, resulting in Warner being fined 75% of his match fee and De Kock 25%. 

Punching Joe Root: The Birmingham Brawl

image-lqxqxesjPunching Joe Root [Twitter]

In 2013, the 37-year-old cricketer was highly suspended for punching England batsman Joe Root in a Birmingham bar after a Champions Trophy match. The altercation sparked due to Root's green and gold fancy dress wig provoking Warner to swing a punch. Warner was guilty of breaching

“Unbecoming Behaviour” rules and was fined.

Ball tampering controversy 

One of the biggest scandals that hit international cricket after the 2010 spot-fixing, was the ball-tampering incident, which shocked the fans and cricketing fraternity around the world. In 2018 David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were in controversy when charged with bans for the roles they played in a plot to alter the condition of the ball in the Cape Town Test against South Africa in March. 

Warner was the main instigator in the ball-tampering controversy, and when found guilty, he was suspended from cricket for 12 months and banned from holding a leadership position in the team ever again.

Tweets turned Brutal 

David Warner's use of foul words on different occasions in his tweets always kept him in controversies and limelight negatively. His tweets didn't go down well with the cricket community and led to widespread criticism. 

Australian bowler Brett Geeves once criticised his batting on Twitter (now known as X); Warner, of all the people, didn’t take it well. 

David Warner went on a tirade and disgraced the pacer in a series of tweets until Cricket Australia intervened to solve the issue between them. David Warner's war of words was directed towards the journalists Robert Craddock and Malcolm Conn when an article regarding IPL match-fixing was published with his picture. Warner made sure he let the concerned journalist know about his take on the article.

David’s disrespectful comment on Jonathan Trott 

The 2013 Ashes was one of the most antagonistic series of all time. Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson was playing some extraordinary cricket, ripping through the English batting line-up. Meanwhile, the incident involves Jonathan Trott, who struggled to counter Johnson's thunderbolts. The Englishman had to fly back home after the first Test due to a long-term stress-related condition. 

After which Warner remarked:  "It does look like they've got scared eyes at the moment, and the way that Trotty got out today was pretty poor and pretty weak."