David Warner pleads guilty to drink driving

Former Australian opener David Warner has pleaded guilty to drink driving after he was charged following a random breath test in Sydney.

The Sydney Thunder captain was not required to appear in court on Wednesday following the offence back in April, but his lawyer Bobby Hill said Warner was admitting the charge.

Warner had drunk three glasses of wine at a friend's apartment on Easter Sunday before he got in his car, according to Hill.

At the time of his breath test, the 39-year-old presented a blood alcohol reading of 0.104 – more than twice the legal limit.  

Warner's guilty plea was expected after Hill said after a court hearing in May that the cricket star had accepted responsibility, and knew his behaviour was 'reckless' and 'foolish.'  

'He knows what he did was wrong,' he said at the time.

'He accepts that was a reckless decision, a foolish decision to get in his car instead of taking an Uber. 

The Fox Cricket commentator had enjoyed three glasses of wine at a friend's apartment before making that decision, Mr Hill said.

'It's not a crime to have a glass of wine on the day of the Lord's resurrection. In fact, some would consider that completely appropriate,' he told reporters.

'His crime is, as I said, choosing a foolish plan A instead of a plan B.'

Sentencing has been set for 18 August, when Warner faces a minimum of disqualification of driving from six months.

There is also a potential fine of of up to $2,200 and a potential prison sentence of up to nine months.

Warner's drink driving ordeal has thrown his captaincy of the Thunder into doubt with cricket NSW saying at the time of his arrest, 'The allegations are of course concerning and we take them very seriously.

'At Cricket NSW, we are strong advocates for safe driving, not drink-driving.'

The Thunder, along with the Sydney Sixers and NSW Blues, are part of a state government campaign to deter drink-driving. 

Warner was arrested while he was on an Easter trip home from the subcontinent, where he captained the Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League.

No stranger to the headlines, Warner was one of three Australian players suspended after a 2018 ball-tampering scandal in South Africa that shook the cricketing world.

A Cricket Australia investigation found Warner, who was vice-captain at the time, masterminded a plan to alter the condition of the match ball with sandpaper and enlisted rookie batsman Cameron Bancroft to carry it out.

Warner was banned from international and domestic cricket for 12 months and made permanently ineligible for team leadership positions.

In 2013, Warner was also involved in a high-profile bust-up in Birmingham during which he punched future England captain Joe Root.