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Australia's opener David Warner acted aggressively before his one-year ban from international cricket due to ball tampering, mostly because he was following what the team told him to do. This insight comes from his close friend and longtime teammate Usman Khawaja.
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"For a long period of time, he was in people's faces and doing stuff; but that wasn't always Davey," Khawaja said.
"He was getting told to play a certain way by the coaching staff and people around at certain points. He's such a team player. If you ask him to do something, he'll do it. That's the frustrating part when people come at him because I know he'll do anything he needs to for the team to win a game.”
"Back in the day, if the team asked - or coaches or senior players [asked] - to get into the contest or sledge the other teams, he'd do it. He doesn't have to do it, but he wants to help the team, and that's how he felt he had to help the team. You've seen a very different David Warner since he's come back in 2019. He's done it his own way."
Right up to his Test retirement this week in Sydney, Warner has consistently generated mixed opinions throughout his career, marked by several clashes with authority, notably the ball-tampering scandal in 2018.
However, before his farewell match at the SCG, captain Pat Cummins commended his "exemplary" contributions to the team since his return in 2019. Khawaja believes the send-off Warner is receiving is entirely fitting for his contributions.
Khawaja and Warner have had two opportunities to walk out together during this Test. The first was late on the opening evening, with only one over bowled, and the second was on the second morning. In both instances, Khawaja allowed Warner to take the lead, acknowledging that there were many emotions as their time in the team approached its conclusion. Warner, too, expressed his emotions when discussing Khawaja before the Test.
"We are pretty tight - probably even tighter after he missed a year of cricket because he went through a really tough time, and I always made sure he was going all right," Khawaja said.
"I always had his back. It's really good to watch that people are getting around him because I think he deserves it; I really do. I think about the journey we've been on, and it is quite emotional."
On the second morning of the Sydney Test, Warner's near-perfect script seemed possible when he was dropped on 20 by Saim Ayub at slip. However, as he progressed to 34, he edged a sharply-turning delivery from Agha Salman. Despite his visible frustration on the way back to the pavilion, there is still a reasonable chance that he may get one final innings.
"He's looked good [in] every single way," Khawaja said.
“Nice to see him leave on a high. He just got a ripper of a ball today that you have to cop sometimes. It's his Test, and [it's] really good to be a part of it", the 37-year-old concluded.
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