David Warner pleads guilty to drink-driving; Sydney Thunder captaincy questioned

Warner did not appear in person at Waverley Local Court on Wednesday, where his lawyer Bobby Hill admitted the charge on his behalf. The offence relates to an incident on Easter Sunday, reported by ESPNcricinfo.

Police stopped Warner on April 5 in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, where a roadside breath test showed a positive alcohol reading. He was then taken to Maroubra Police Station for further testing, where his blood alcohol concentration was measured at 0.104, more than twice the legal limit.

“The parties are in discussion about the facts,” Hill said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Hill had previously indicated Warner would plead guilty when the case was first mentioned in May. “He knows what he did was wrong,” he said at the time. “He accepts that was a reckless decision, a foolish decision to get in his car instead of taking an Uber.”

According to Hill, Warner had consumed three glasses of wine at a friend’s apartment prior to driving. “It’s not a crime to have a glass of wine on the day of the Lord’s resurrection. In fact, some would consider that completely appropriate,” Hill told reporters, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. “His crime is, as I said, choosing a foolish plan A instead of a plan B.”

The Sydney Thunder, together with the Sydney Sixers and New South Wales Blues, participate in a New South Wales government campaign aimed at raising awareness about the dangers of drink-driving, ESPNcricinfo reported.

Warner was apprehended after returning from the Indian subcontinent, where he captained the Karachi Kings during the Pakistan Super League, while travelling home during the Easter period.

Previously, the 39-year-old was subject to a lifetime ban from leadership roles following his part in Australia’s 2018 ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. This ban was lifted in 2024, enabling Warner’s subsequent appointment as Sydney Thunder captain.