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“I let them down in the Champions Trophy, and not getting selected in the first two Tests was massive for us”
Australia opening batsman David Warner is determined “to keep working hard” in order to “maintain that respect from the boys” after conceding that he had “let them down in the Champions Trophy”.
Warner was suspended for punching England batsman Joe Root at the Walkabout bar in Birmingham during the Champions Trophy in June and he was subsequently dropped for the first two Ashes Tests against England in July.
However, Warner has also been embroiled in numerous other controversies, one of which included him going on a verbal rampage against two News Limited journalists via Twitter and, most recently, he received a one-match ban from New South Wales for missing their limited overs match against Victoria to have a private training session and spend an afternoon at Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse.
“I’ve never been a person to ever doubt myself and playing cricket, and playing my way,” Warner said. “To come back now and actually score a lot of runs and help New South Wales win games, it’s been fantastic – and I hope I can continue that into the Ashes.
“There were a few misdemeanours in the past six to 12 months. I’ve addressed them now, and I’m better for it.”
Australia captain Michael Clarke also acknowledged the change in Warner’s “attitude”.
“His attitude has been outstanding, on and off the field,” Clarke said. “I think when you look at David, for starters, you can see how fit and strong he is at the moment.
“He’s worked exceptionally hard at getting himself as fit as he possibly can for this upcoming summer, and his performances are a little bit of a pay-off for the hard work he’s put in.
“Once we welcomed him back into the group after the incident in the UK, he’s been great around the team.
“He’s gone out of his way to try and earn the respect back from his team-mates, and he’s certainly done that – so it’s great to see him back in the team.”
Warner was extremely grateful for all the support and “respect” he has received from his team-mates and the national selectors.
“It means a lot,” he said. “I let them down in the Champions Trophy, and not getting selected in the first two Tests was massive for us. It put a dampener on the team and on the squad itself.
“So I’ve got the respect back from the guys. But I’ve got to keep working hard to maintain that respect from the boys – and I hope I can keep doing my job at the top of the order.”