David Warner: 'Sandpaper-gate' Will Forever Mar My Legacy

David Warner, the veteran Australian opener, has acknowledged that the infamous "Sandpaper-gate" incident of 2018 will forever tarnish his legacy as he contemplates retirement from international cricket.

Warner, 37, has expressed his desire to conclude his career on a high note by winning the T20 World Cup in the United States and the West Indies, where Australia has advanced to the Super Eight round. However, he recognizes that his achievements on the field will always be overshadowed by the ball-tampering scandal that occurred in South Africa six years ago.

"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," Warner said, according to Cricket Australia.

Warner, Australia's leading run-scorer in T20 cricket, has announced that his international playing career will end at the World Cup. He believes he has been unfairly singled out for 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 said. "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."

Warner's involvement in the third Test scandal in Cape Town, where Cameron Bancroft used sandpaper to scuff the ball before clumsily attempting to hide the evidence down his pants, earned him a one-year ban, along with that of then-skipper Steve Smith. Cricket Australia demoted Warner from vice captaincy as he was the main conspirator.

The batsman expressed his eagerness to retire from international cricket, stating, "One can only absorb (so much)." "For me, it's great to go out knowing I'm not going to cop it anymore."

Tags: #DavidWarner, #SandpaperGate, #Cricket, #T20WorldCup, #AustralianCricket