Don’t see David Warner in category of ‘greats' of the game, says John Buchanan

Melbourne, Jan 9 (PTI) Former coach John Buchanan, who oversaw Australia's two 50-over World Cup triumphs in 2003 and 2007, does not consider David Warner as one of the greats of the game, saying the title should be reserved for exceptional cricketers like Don Bradman and Shane Warne.

Buchanan was in charge of one of the most successful Australian sides between 1999 to 2007. Warner, who retired from Test cricket last week, did not play under him as he made his Australia debut in 2009.

Asked whether Warner was a “great”, Buchanan, speaking on SEN Breakfast, replied: “I don’t think so".

The 70-year-old Buchanan, under whom Australia won the 2006 Champions Trophy and etched a world record 16 consecutive Test wins twice, said greats of the game are those who have done something exceptional that others just can’t match.

“I think he (Warner) has certainly performed exceptionally well throughout this career, he sits on 8000+ runs, he’s played over 100 Test matches, over 160 ODIs and nearly 100 T20s.

“His averages are reasonable compared to all those in the various formats, his strike rate is obviously higher because of the way he plays the game.

“On performance base, he’s right up there. But greats of the game, in my opinion, are people that really do and have done something exceptional that others just can’t match, so therefore you automatically go to the (Don) Bradmans, (Glenn) McGraths, (Shane) Warnes, they’re the greats in my opinion." The 37-year-old Warner finished his Test career on 112 matches with 8786 runs -- 22nd all-time -- at an average of 44.59 and an impressive strike rate of 70.19.

He also scored 6932 runs at 45.30 and a strike rate of 97.26 in ODI cricket -- sixth best for Australia and 48th overall.

Meanwhile, Warner confirmed to Club Prairie Fire podcast that his autobiography is in the works but did not reveal much whether the book will contain details of the sandpaper gate -- the 2018 ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.

There’s no publication date set for Warner’s autobiography.

When pressed by podcast host and former teammate Adam Gilchrist on whether he would provide his full account of the infamous incident, Warner chose to keep the answer vague.

"...My side of the story and all that, that could be told whenever. There are going to be some things in the book that are definitely going to be related to 2018. It’s not potentially going to be around what I know, what others know, because then it just becomes a tit-for-tat.

“It’s not that kind of story. I want it to be about my journey, my upbringing. There are going to be a few things in there.

“You have the Joe Root saga (when he punched Root in 2013)... There are so many different things in there, there are a lot of things in there. It’ll be an interesting read and when the time comes we can all pick it to pieces.” Warner did, however, add that "there are going to be a lot of things in that book that I think are going to raise some eyebrows.” Warner was handed a lifetime leadership ban after team-mate Cameron Bancroft was caught with sandpaper in his trouser pocket and Australia admitted to ball-tampering during the Cape Town Test against South Africa in 2018.

Among the three cricketers who were punished -- captain Steve Smith and Bancroft being the other two --, Warner got the harshest punishment.

Following an amendment to Cricket Australia's Code of Conduct for players and staff in 2022, the left-handed batter was to appeal against the ban but later decided not to do so as he apparently found out that the review panel hearing was to be done in public. PTI