David Warner addresses ugly crowd swipe before farewell cricket games in New Zealand
The retiring Australian opener is expecting a hostile New Zealand crowd in his final three internationals.
Departing cricket great David Warner says he is expecting to be targeted by New Zealand locals in his final tour for Australia. In Warner's first and only Test series in New Zealand in 2016 he labelled Kiwi crowds "pretty vulgar" after he and his teammates were the targets of personal attacks by home supporters.
A fan was ejected from Hagley Oval in Christchurch for relentlessly abusing fast bowler Josh Hazlewood and at the time Warner said while there is nothing wrong with fans getting stuck into them, being abused all day is over the top. "We don’t expect to wake up and be hounded for six or seven hours," Warner said at the time.
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Warner has since retired from Test and ODI cricket and will play his final three games for his country in New Zealand in the T20 series which kicks off on Wednesday. Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Monday, the veteran opener said he hasn't forgotten about the abuse that had previously been hurled at him but said even if it happens again it won't stop him from enjoying his last hurrah in the green and go
"I enjoy playing here," Warner said. "It’s about coming out and trying to put my best foot forward, and score runs. The crowd, yeah, they got personal, but if they have to get personal, that’s their character.
"I just go about my business. But that’s upon each individual, if that’s what they feel like they have to do, then so be it. If you want to pay your money to come and abuse people, you have to go back and lay in your own bed. We’re here to play the game of cricket that we love, enjoy and put bums on seats to keep the game going."
David Warner expecting a hostile send-off
Warner has received a mixed reaction from cricket fans since announcing his retirement. In his final Test in Sydney in January, he was given a standing ovation from the crowd but faced a more frosty reception in his final T20 match in Perth - his last international game on home soil. In his final three internationals in New Zealand, he is expecting the furthest thing from a hero's send-off.
"Over here, it’s always the harsh reality that we’re neighbours, in sport we like to beat each other," he said. "From that perspective, we’re going to be expecting the crowd to come at us as hard as they come. As we always say, it’s in one ear, out the other – if I actually hear anything."
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