Rephrase the title:David Warner news: Former Australian Test opener questions ‘bizarre’ leadership ban following retirement

Just two weeks removed from his Australian swansong at the SCG, where he bowed out as a winner for the final time in international Test cricket, David Warner has opened up on what the future holds.

The 37-year-old didn’t mince his words as he once again complained about his “bizarre” situation resulting from the infamous sandpaper scandal, as he eyes a potential transition into coaching.

David Warner questions ‘bizarre’ leadership ban for Australia following retirement

Warner was stripped of his leadership role following the controversial 2018 Test match in South Africa which also embroiled Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft.

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The incident caused a fracture within the Australian cricketing world with the impact still felt five years later, much to Warner’s bemusement.

“What’s the difference between captaining and coaching?” Warner queried during his first post-retirement interview with Code Sports.

“You’ve got more responsibility as a coach, wouldn’t you think so?

“It’s been five years, and I still don’t know how to answer the question. It’s just something that’s hard to get my head around.”

Warner will continue to ply his trade for Australia in the shortest form of the game with this year’s upcoming T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean at the top of his list.

He will also venture into the media when he takes on a commentating role for Fox Sports next summer.

Yet he has ambitions to give back to the game with a coaching role particularly appealing.

Warner stated that the fact he could become a coach in Australia, despite being handed a life-long ban as a player from the leadership group, had left him confused.

“Apparently, I will be able to coach if allowed to in Australia,” Warner said.

“But I can’t captain. So yeah, I’m not sure what it is.

“It’s under contract with Australia. It’s a leadership position, so I’m not sure, I just don’t know, very bizarre.”

The combative left-hander has courted plenty of controversy throughout his career, be it run ins with opposition players, war of words with former teammates or his 12-month ban for his role in the ball-tampering scandal.

However, Warner claimed the conjecture around him had never bothered him and this had only been accentuated after his step away from the international Test arena for Australia.

“People can criticise me as much as they want,” Warner stated. “I don’t care. I literally do not care.”

“You’re wasting your breath. And I get excited that people keep writing negative stuff about me because they’re up at night thinking about me,” he added.

David Warner stats

Warner sits in fifth place on the all-time leaderboard for Australian Test runs, as he bowed out against Pakistan during the New Year’s Test in Sydney.

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Only Ricky Ponting, Allan Broder, Steve Waugh and Smith sit ahead of Warner who finished with 8,786 runs to his name from 112 Test appearances.

He smashed 26 centuries in the red-ball format, at an average of 44.60.

Highest Australian Test match run-scorers