David Warner's Test legacy to be honoured in move set to divide cricket fans
Warner retired from Test cricket as Australia's highest-scoring opener of all time.
It's not quite a statue at the SCG, but the first of many lasting tributes to David Warner's stellar cricketing career has begun. The Randwick City Council – the local government area where Warner grew up and played his junior cricket – has carried a motion to name a new indoor cricket centre at Maroubra's Snape Park after Australia's greatest opening batsman.
In first proposing a cricket venue in the area be named after Warner, the council declared: "What better way to celebrate a Randwick City local legend. We all know David Warner as the legendary Test cricketer, but did you know he is also a Matraville boy?
"After attending Matraville Public School and Randwick Boys High, David went on to become the fifth-highest run scorer in Australia's Test history and holds the second-highest Australian individual score ever. He was a boy from Matraville who came through the Housing Commission system and did well."
Councillor Daniel Rosenfeld, who supported the motion to honour the cricket star, confirmed an original plan to name the nearby Heffron Park nets after Warner was ditched in favour of the new indoor facility after talks with the player. "There was consultation with David in regards to this and the move (to Snape Park) considers David's junior playing history," Rosenfeld told Yahoo Sport Australia.
Sydney indoor cricket facility to be named after David Warner
"I believe that is fitting to name such a facility after David given he grew up in our area and has achieved great things for the Australian cricket team over a long period of time." As is always the case with Warner, there were polarising views on whether he deserves the honour.
One fan wrote on the council's Facebook page: "That whole park should (be) named David Warner Oval…what a ripper cricket player." But another countered: "Bad move Randwick City Council, there are far more deserving members of the community to be naming things after."
Could David Warner one day get a statue at the SCG?
Back in January, YSA suggested Warner's iconic "century leap" celebration could one day be cast in bronze and added to the SCG's impressive line of cricket statues. The aggressive opener finished his Test career as our leading opening batsman, scoring 8786 runs to head the charts from Matthew Hayden (8626), Mark Taylor (7525) and Michael Slater (5312).
"I've had a lot of ups and downs through my career. I’ve had to come back and overcome adversity," Warner said at the time. "I think I’ve done that very, very well, and I think it’s been well received from a lot of people.
"Today just showed to me that I do have a lot of support and I am grateful and thankful for that." Warner will wind up his international career at the T20 World Cup in the US and West Indies in June.