Warner removed himself from play after sledging from Jason Hughes, the older brother of Phillip

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Sledging from Jason Hughes, the older brother of Phillip, has prompted David Warner to temporarily leave the field mid-innings while playing grade cricket in Sydney.

Warner removed himself from play during Saturday’s morning session at Pratten Park in the city’s west.

Batting for Randwick-Petersham on his 32nd birthday during a fixture against Western Suburbs, Australia’s sacked vice-captain asked for permission to leave the field.

He returned to the crease and scored 157, producing his first red-ball century since the Cape Town cheating scandal.

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Some media outlets claimed Hughes called Warner a “disgrace”.

It is thought Hughes’s verbals were not in reference to the ball-tampering furore that resulted in Cricket Australia banning Warner for 12 months.

Warner was friends with Phillip Hughes, who tragically died after being struck on the neck during a Sheffield Shield match in 2014.

Hughes could yet be booked under the competition’s code of conduct but both clubs are keen to move on and it’s understood the umpires are unlikely to level a charge.

Warner, shielded by teammates while walking off the field at tea and stumps, refused to comment when approached.

The incident comes two days before CA releases the much-anticipated findings from reviews into its on-field and corporate cultures.

They were commissioned after Warner, captain Steve Smith and Test team-mate Cameron Bancroft were banned as a result of the sandpaper debacle in South Africa.

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A formal CA investigation of the ball-tampering saga painted Warner as the architect of Australia’s premeditated plan to cheat, claiming he advised Bancroft how to alter the ball.

CA stripped Warner of his leadership position and alleged he failed to “voluntarily report his knowledge of the plan after the match”, whereas Smith and Bancroft came clean.

Under the conditions of their 12-month bans, Warner and Smith are barred from representing Australia or taking part in the Sheffield Shield and Big Bash League but have been encouraged to play grade cricket.

Smith also enjoyed a productive Saturday, snagging figures of 3-34 and pocketing two catches for Sutherland.

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Ironically, a greater emphasis on grade cricket is expected to be one of many recommendations in the Ethics Centre’s long-awaited independent review of CA that will be released on Monday in Melbourne.

CA’s board met on Friday, settling on its response to a series of recommendations.