David Warner Smashes 93 in Darwin's Strike League

Former Australian vice-captain David Warner has returned to competitive cricket in style at home. After a pretty poor season with the bat for the Winnipeg Hawks in the maiden Global T20 Canada League, Warner finally made a mark in the Strike League.

The swashbuckling southpaw Warner, however, fell just seven runs short of a well-deserved century in the Limited-overs’ Strike League held in Darwin.

The opening batsman Warner has been suspended by Cricket Australia (CA) for playing international and most of the domestic matches in Australia for one year.

It came following his involvement in the infamous ball-tampering scandal. It unfolded in Cape Town a few months ago. The trio had hatched a plan of altering the condition of the ball during a lunch break.

It was Cameron Bancroft who was caught on camera trying to apply a sandpaper on the ball.

Steven Smith also received a one-year suspension while Bancroft was handed a nine-month ban. The southpaw scored 93 off 139 deliveries in an innings which was pretty restrained. He was playing for the City Cyclones against the Desert Blaze.

A possible reunion with Bancroft was avoided as the right-hander had to miss at the last moment after he sustained an injury.

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Warner’s knock at a brief:

David Warner was struck on the throat by a rising delivery when he was batting on 62. He had to spend the night at the Darwin hospital.

Scans showed a tear to his windpipe. However, he was released on Sunday (July 22) and is expected to recover fully.

Warner’s first 20 runs came in as many as 50 deliveries. He slowly gained in confidence and struck four fours and a couple of sixes.

Earlier on Saturday, he had scored 36 in his return match. It was the first appearance in Australia after the infamous scandal. Meanwhile, he is free to take part in Independent Leagues.

Warner has been contracted to play in Darwin only for this particular weekend.

On the other hand, Bancroft is expected to remain for the rest of the season.

“If I didn’t love it I wouldn’t be here. I’d probably retire but I’m enjoying it. I love it and have still got plenty of fuel in the tank,” Warner said.

“I’m excited about the next eight months to reflect upon what’s happened, moving forward to be a better person,” he added.

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