David Warner, currently playing for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League (BBL), found himself embroiled in controversy after defending England’s Tom Curran in a social media post on X. Warner expressed sympathy for Curran's four-match ban last season, but his remarks were quickly challenged by fans who pointed out inaccuracies in his interpretation of the incident.
Warner’s post, which criticized the Big Bash tradition of allowing celebrities to bowl the first ball, read: “I feel for Tom Curran last year now, getting done for four games because he ran up and down the wicket to mark his run-up to play the BBL game he was participating in. But they allow a celebrity to bowl an actual delivery on the wicket pre-game.”
However, fans and community notes swiftly corrected Warner’s account. The four-game suspension imposed on Curran had nothing to do with him marking his run-up but stemmed from an altercation with an umpire. Curran had charged down the pitch during a practice session while the match official was instructing him to practice on a nearby strip, leading to a face-off that ultimately resulted in the ban for “intimidating the umpire.”
Warner's comment seems to have been sparked by the event earlier that day, where Dr. Chris Brown, an Australian veterinarian and social media influencer, bowled the celebrity first ball at the match between Brisbane Heat and Hobart Hurricanes. Unlike the usual practice, Brown delivered the ball on the actual match strip rather than a designated practice wicket.
While Warner’s post about Curran attracted criticism, the 37-year-old Australian opener continues to enjoy a strong season in the BBL. Leading the run-scorer charts with 324 runs from 8 matches, Warner has been in fine form for Sydney Thunder, opening alongside rising star Sam Konstas. Meanwhile, Curran, now playing for Melbourne Stars after moving from Sydney Sixers, has had a quieter season, contributing just 80 runs and 2 wickets so far.
The incident has highlighted Warner’s frustrations with the celebrity first ball tradition, which he sees as contradictory to the strictness applied to players like Curran.
