BALL-TAMPERING SAGA

David Warner is seriously, seriously struggling, says wife Candice

by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on

David Warner's Candice said her husband is currently an emotional wreck having gone through a turbulent month © AFP

David Warner wasn't in the best headspace during the controversy-marred South Africa series, revealed his wife Candice Warner, who said that the couple had been severely affected by the constant taunts from the South Africa crowd about the Sonny Bill Williams incident.

The beleaguered vice-captain was banned for 12 months following the ball-tampering row, with Cricket Australia's investigations establishing that he was the mastermind behind the act that shook Australian cricket. Speaking to Daily Telegraph in the wake of Warner's press conference on Saturday (March 31) which ended with a lot of unanswered questions, Candice said the batsman was "an emotional wreck" while addressing the media.

"I feel like it's all my fault and it's killing me - it's absolutely killing me," Candice said. "He's just such an emotional wreck and I think he was sitting there hearing words but not really being able to process. If people could understand - which they probably won't because there's so many people out there that want answers - but if they could just sympathise just slightly with the month that he's had. I'm sure there were things he wanted to say but he just couldn't get it out. He is hurting. He is seriously, seriously struggling and he's not in a great headspace."

Right at the start of the ill-natured series, Warner was involved in a stairwell stoush with Quinton de Kock during the first Test after the South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman reportedly brought up the infamous tryst involving Sonny Bill and Candice. In the aftermath of the spat, the South African crowd got stuck into Warner in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town, raising the incident time and again, and adding to the agony by sporting masks.

"I never want to do a 'poor me' story or anything like that whatsoever. But Dave would come home from the game and see me in tears in the bedroom, and the girls just looking at their mum, it's been heartbreaking. When we were in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, Dave would come home and, yes, I always put on a strong front and I turn out to the games. But seeing them wearing the masks, to have people staring and pointing and laughing at me, to have the signs, to have, you know, the songs made up about me, I would have to sit there and cop that. And he had to just cope with it, he was protecting me as much as he could and protecting the girls.

"Things that have happened in the past, I deserved that. I brought that upon myself. But what happened in South Africa was on a complete other level. And again, it's not an excuse," Candice added.

It has also been reported that Warner resorted to drinking and removed himself from the Australian team's WhatsApp group when the tampering saga came to light, with his team-mates apparently deserting him. Commenting on that, Candice said: "I think that's what's been really hurtful. There's been all these reports that we're such a divisive couple, that we divide the team and things like that. But we've hosted numerous barbecues at our home, not just for the players but their partners, support staff, and we did that a couple of times. He's always going to dinner with the boys when his family's not around.

"All these reports, why I was the only one left in South Africa and all that is total rubbish because there's a handful of girls - Tim Paine's wife, Pat Cummins' partner - there's a heap of them still there. There's been so much fabrication on this and it's just, I personally have had enough," she said.

© Cricbuzz

TAGS