"That’s their character" - David Warner calls out New Zealand fans for vulgar behavior, ready for hostile reception

As David Warner gears up to play in the upcoming three-match T20I series in New Zealand, he has stated that the abuse he and his teammates received from the local fans is still fresh in his mind.

Way back in 2016, the veteran Australia opener had condemned the behavior of the New Zealand fans, calling it ‘derogatory and vulgar’. Calling out the fans, he had said that he and his teammates were constantly targeted by home supporters with extremely personal attacks. During the same tour, a local fan was ejected from Hagley Oval in Christchurch for relentlessly abusing Josh Hazlewood.

And while David Warner and his teammates will be hoping for better behaviour from the New Zealand crowd, the Australia opener has made it clear that he won’t be surprised if the crowd decides against it. He stated that he is just focused on his business and won’t be bothered by the crowd behaviour.

“I enjoy playing here,” David Warner said in Wellington on Monday morning, as quoted by News Corp Australia.

“It’s about coming out and trying to put my best foot forward, and score runs. The crowd, yeah, they got personal, but if they have to get personal, that’s their character.

“I just go about my business. But that’s upon each individual, if that’s what they feel like they have to do, then so be it.

“If you want to pay your money to come and abuse people, you have to go back and lay in your own bed. We’re here to play the game of cricket that we love, enjoy and put bums on seats to keep the game going,” he added.

Expecting the crowd to come at us as hard as they come: David Warner:

The upcoming series will be David Warner’s last assignment in New Zealand as Australia player. He has already retired from Tests and ODIs and will bring down curtains on his T20I career after this year’s T20 World Cup. While he received a warm reception from the fans in Sydney during his final Test earlier this year, the response was not so warm in his final T20I match on the Australian soil.

When asked about the sort of reception he is expecting from the New Zealand crowd, David Warner said: “Over here, it’s always the harsh reality that we’re neighbours, in sport we like to beat each other.

“From that perspective, we’re going to be expecting the crowd to come at us as hard as they come. As we always say, it’s in one ear, out the other – if I actually hear anything,” he added.

The three-match T20I series is scheduled to be played from February 21.