Banned cricket star David Warner breaks his silence over year-long cheating ban - and says spending time with wife Candice has helped him 'grow as a human being'
- Cricketer David Warner has broken silence after Bancroft and Smith interviews
- The former vice captain said the ban has allowed him to spend time with family
- Warner was unveiled as captain of Sylhet Sixers in Bangladesh Premier League
- He spoke to media in Dhaka about life almost a year after being called a cheater
Banned cricket star David Warner has spoken out for the first time since being banned for ball tampering.
The former vice captain of Australia told reporters in Bangladesh the saga has helped him 'grow as a human being' and allowed him to spend more time with his growing family.
Warner was handed a 12-month ban from Australian cricket after a foiled plot to tamper with the ball in a Test match against South Africa in March 2018.
Bowler Cameron Bancroft was given a nine-month suspension for his role in the tampering while captain Steve Smith and Warner - members of the leadership team - were banned for a year.
Banned cricket star David Warner has broken his silence after Cameron Bancroft and Steve Smith
The former vice captain of Australia told reporters in Bangladesh (pictured) the saga has helped him 'grow as a human being'
Warner, who was unveiled as captain of Sylhet Sixers in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), spoke to reporters in Dhaka about his life almost a year on from being labelled a cheater.
'Life has been good for me. I have been spending time with the family. I wouldn't be able to do that if I wasn't sitting in the sidelines,' he said.
'It is about getting the best out of myself and growing as a human being. My most important thing was being a father and husband at home.
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'Now it is down to playing cricket again and making sure I get Sylhet Sixers on top of the table.'
His wife Candice Warner recently announced the couple were expecting their third child.
'It is with a full heart that David Warner and I would like to share with you that in 2019 our family of four will become a family of five,' she wrote on Instagram over the new year.
Warner spoke to reporters in Dhaka about his life almost a year on from being labelled a cheater (pictured: Warner arrives at Sydney Airport with family following cheating scandal)
'Life has been good for me. I have been spending time with the family. I wouldn't be able to do that if I wasn't sitting in the sidelines,' he said (pictured with wife Candice)
'We have another beautiful baby joining our family.'
Warner spoke ahead of his clash with Comilla Victorians on Sunday, where he is anticipated to face former teammate Smith.
'I will just treat it as another game,' he said.
'It is not just taking on one player but taking on a team of eleven players.
'It is about making sure that our bowlers know how to get Smith out, and then tackle the rest of the guys.'
His wife Candice Warner recently announced the couple were expecting their third child (pictured: David Warner with his two young daughters)
The disgraced cricketer has only spoken directly to media a few times since the scandal broke (pictured: Warner's tearful apology in Sydney after scandal)
The disgraced cricketer has only spoken directly to media a few times since the scandal broke and all appearances have been tied to his career.
He famously delivered a tearful apology after arriving in Sydney following the cheating saga.
Warner also spoke while playing the Northern Territory Strike League, the Global T20 tournament in Canada and shortly after the start of the grade cricket season in Sydney.
Bancroft, who recently completed his nine-month suspension, shed light on his experiences in South Africa in a TV interview aired on Day One of the Boxing Day Test between Australia and India at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Bancroft said the decision to agree to the ball-tampering was based around 'what I valued at the time' and he 'valued fitting in… you hope that fitting in earns you respect'.
Smith hit out at a toxic culture of winning without counting the costs in his interview with Fox Sports and referred to two former Cricket Australia executives
Bancroft, who now plays for Perth Scorchers, said the decision to agree to the ball-tampering was based around 'what I valued at the time' and he 'valued fitting in… you hope that fitting in earns you respect'
'Dave [Warner] suggested to me to carry the action out on the ball given the situation we were in the game and I didn't know any better,' he said.
Smith hit out at a toxic culture of winning without counting the costs in his interview with Fox Sports and referred to two former Cricket Australia executives.
'I remember James Sutherland and Pat Howard coming into the rooms there and saying ''we don't pay you to play, we pay you to win'',' Smith said.
'For me that was a little bit disappointing.
'We don't go out there to try to lose games of cricket, we go out there to try and win and play the best way we can.'
Bancroft is currently representing Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League.
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