David Warner pleads guilty to drink-driving charge
Drink-driving guilty plea clouds Warner's return as Sydney Thunder captain.
Former Australia opener David Warner has pleaded guilty to a mid-range drink-driving charge after being stopped by police in Sydney during a break from the Pakistan Super League earlier this year.
Warner entered the plea through his lawyer at Waverley Local Court on Wednesday and was not required to appear. He is due to be sentenced on 18 August .
Police pulled Warner over in Sydney's eastern suburbs on April 5. A roadside breath test led officers to take him to Maroubra Police Station, where he returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.104 more than twice the legal limit.
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His lawyer, Bobby Hill, has previously said Warner accepted he made a mistake.
"He knows what he did was wrong," Hill said. "He accepts that was a reckless decision, a foolish decision to get in his car instead of taking an Uber."
Hill said Warner had drunk three glasses of wine at a friend's apartment before driving. He said Warner would seek leniency when he is sentenced but expected to be treated like any other member of the public.
The case comes as Warner prepares for another Big Bash League season with Sydney Thunder, where he was appointed captain after his lifetime leadership ban from the 2018 ball-tampering scandal was lifted in 2024.
Cricket NSW Chief Executive Lee Germon said after Warner was charged that the allegations were "concerning" and that the organization strongly opposed drink-driving.
Sydney Thunder has yet to say whether Warner's guilty plea will affect his captaincy.
