Warner claims the ball-tampering scandal won't go away
As he considers his legacy ahead of his probable retirement from international cricket, Australian opener David Warner feels the "Sandpaper-gate" incident of 2018 will always mar his reputation.
The contentious 37-year-old wants to end his career on a positive note by winning the T20 World Cup in the United States and the West Indies, where Australia has advanced to the Super Eight round.
The top run scorer for Australiain T20 cricket has declared that his international playing career will end at the World Cup.
In an interview with reporters in Antigua, Warner said that his achievements with the bat will always be paired with the infamous ball-tampering affair that occurred in South Africa six years ago.
Warner stated, "I think it's going to be inevitable that when people talk about me in 20 or 30 years' time, there will always be that sandpaper scandal," as reported by Cricket Australia.
Warner stated that he believed he had been unfairly picked out because of the affair, as his time at the top was coming to an end.
"Whether it's people who don't like the Australian cricket team or don't like me, I've always been that person who has copped it," Warner stated.
"It's fine if they want to do that, but I always feel like I've taken a lot of pressure off a lot of guys as well and I think understandably I've been that person to be able to absorb that."
The batsman expressed his excitement for his impending retirement from international cricket as a result.