Australia cricket star David Warner pleads guilty to drink driving

Former Australia batter David Warner has pleaded guilty to drink driving, after being charged following a random breath test in Sydney in April.

The plea had been expected after his lawyer, Bobby Hill, said after a court hearing in May that the cricketer accepted responsibility and knew his behaviour had been “foolish” and “reckless”.

Warner had drunk three glasses of wine at a friend’s apartment before getting in his car on Easter Sunday, Hill said at the earlier hearing.

Sentencing has been set for 18 August, when Warner faces a minimum disqualification from driving of six months, a potential fine of up to A$2,200 ($1,500; £1,150) and a potential prison sentence of up to nine months.

Warner, who retired from international cricket in 2024, is currently captain of Pakistan Super League side Karachi Kings as well as being captain of the Sydney Thunder.

Cricket NSW chief executive Lee Germon said after he was charged in April that the allegations were “concerning” and that the body took them “very seriously”.

“At Cricket NSW, we are strong advocates for safe driving, not drink-driving,” he said.

Hill said at the May hearing that Warner knew what he had done was wrong. “He accepts that was a reckless decision, a foolish decision to get in his car instead of taking an Uber.”

“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 added.

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