Ex-Australia batter Warner fined for drink-driving

Former Australia batter David Warner has been fined A$1,500 (£787) and ordered to have an interlock device fitted on his car after pleading guilty to drink-driving in Sydney in April.

The 39-year-old's blood alcohol reading was more than twice the legal limit as he failed a random breath test when driving his family home from a social function.

The court heard Warner stopped his car after spotting a roadside testing site and attempted to switch seats with a female passenger on Easter Sunday.

Warner, who appeared before Waverley Local Court on Tuesday, must install the interlock device which will prevent his car from starting if alcohol is detected in his system.

"I accept Mr Warner is unlikely to reoffend," judge Clare Farnan told the court. "But regrettably, drink-driving is still a significant factor in many crashes in New South Wales."

The judge added that the offence was aggravated because children were in the car.

Warner's lawyer had told the court his client should be spared conviction because he had suffered additional punishment as a result of media coverage which it was argued affected his commercial opportunities.

Warner, who retired from international cricket in 2024, works as a commentator for Fox Sports Australia and covered Bangladesh's historic Test victory against Australia in Darwin.

He is also captain of Pakistan Super League side Karachi Kings and Big Bash League's Sydney Thunder, who are part of a New South Wales state government campaign to deter drink-driving.

"Our organisation is a strong advocate of safe driving, including avoiding drink-driving," Cricket NSW, who own the Thunder, said in a statement.

"We continue to take this incident seriously, including educating all players on the importance of safe driving."

Warned scored 6,932 runs in 159 one-day international innings for Australia, including 22 centuries, while in 112 Test matches, he made 8,786 runs with 26 hundreds.