Australian cricketer suspended after bar assault on England rival
June 13, 2013
Australian cricketer David Warner sat out his country's match with New Zealand on Wednesday.
A cricketer who punched a rival international player in a bar has been fined and banned ahead of one of the sport's oldest and most renowned competitions. Australia batsman David Warner struck young England counterpart Joe Root in an Australian-themed bar in the English city of Birmingham in the early hours of Monday morning.
Warner had to sit out Wednesday's Champions Trophy match with New Zealand, and Cricket Ausrtalia announced Thursday that he will miss the rest of the limited-overs tournament.
As well as being fined $11,000, he cannot play for Australia until the first Ashes Test against England begins on July 10. His suspension will give other players a chance to take his place at the top of the batting order.
"Warner pleaded guilty to breaching Rule 6: Unbecoming Behavior. CA Senior Code of Behavior Commissioner,"
read a statement from Cricket Australia.
"The Hon. Justice Gordon Lewis AM, fined Warner AU$11,500 and suspended him from the remainder of Australia's ICC Champions Trophy campaign as well as the Australian team's two tour matches before the first Ashes Test against Somerset and Worcestershire. Warner will be eligible for selection for the first Test."
The Ashes is one of the oldest rivalries in sport, having first been contested in 1882. The series is played on a two-yearly basis, although back-to-back series will be played between July and January 2014.
The scheduling switch was made in order to prevent the Ashes taking place directly before the 2015 Cricket World Cup, which will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
It is the second time in under a month that Warner has been cited for "unbecoming behavior."
The 26-year-old was fined $5,500 for a Twitter tirade he directed at Australian cricket journalist Robert Craddock
Warner, who also aimed slurs at Craddock's colleague Malcolm Conn, took exception to an article Craddock had written about the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Warner, who played for the Delhi Daredevils during the lucrative 20-over competition, was reacting to a piece Craddock penned in which he called the IPL a "smoldering cesspit" following allegations of corruption made against the league.
The controversy surrounding Warner is the last thing an ailing Australia team needed, with captain and key batsman Michael Clarke struggling to recover from a persistent back injury ahead of the Ashes.
Australia is also reeling after a 4-0 series defeat away to India in March.
The last Ashes series, which was held in Australia between November 2010 and January 2011, was won 3-1 by England.