David Warner commends the ICC for pulling up du Plessis

While many are condemning the crackdown on Faf du Plessis following the ball-tampering incident, David Warner, Australia’s vice-captain is one of the few who has hailed the move. Although Warner did indeed go on to reveal that any ball tampering done by the South African skipper had little impact on the outcome of the match, he believed that it was necessary for a crackdown.

The series has seen this become the ‘front and center’ scandal given the fact that the Aussies were brushed aside by the Proteas even in the absence of their best bowler Dale Steyn. Warner hailed the move by the ICC stating that it was important to play by the rules set aside by the ICC. The outcome of the hearing in Adelaide saw skipper du Plessis fined for the charges but will play the match in Adelaide.

“The rules are in place for a reason – if you’re not going to use them why to bother having them?” he said. “That’s the fortunate things these days. They’ve got their rules and they’ll stand by these decisions. I think that’s a good thing.

“We’ve all been on the back end of them from time to time. Now they’re cracking down on it, with the points system, we as players know the guidelines now. If you’re going to overstep that mark and you get fined be prepared to miss Test matches as well,” he added.

“I won’t comment on the way they’ve been behaving, I just know from an Australian cricket perspective we hold our heads high and I’d be very disappointed if one of our team members did that and how they’re reacting.”

Also read – Watch: Virat Kohli shines the ball in a similar manner to that of Faf du Plessis

Warner also went on to answer questions about his new opening partner Matt Renshaw who would be making his debut. “I don’t know a lot about him. I’ve heard a few whispers … he likes batting time, which is fantastic. That’s what we like,” he said. “It’s just a fantastic opportunity for these youngsters to press their claims on the world stage.”

Warner also went on to declare himself fit to face any challenge hurled at him. “It was extremely painful for a few hours … I actually felt sick in the guts,” he said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been hit flush. I’ll be OK. I’m just lucky the box split and didn’t grab anything. A few boys in the past have had that happen and it’s quite nasty.”