David Leggat: Warner's marching orders overdue

Australia's David Warner. Photo / AP

Have Cricket Australia bosses sat down with the opening batsman chummily known as Daveywarner by their fawning television commentators and given him a clear message about his behaviour?

If not, why not? And if they have, then CA does have a real problem because it clearly has had no impact.

Warner is the obnoxious face of Australian cricket's ugly mob, a short man with a bolshie, take-no-backward-step-to-anyone mentality, a scrappy bantam with his chest permanently puffed out.

Most recently he engaged in a slanging match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday with Indian batsman Rohit Sharma, himself no shrinking violet, after an overthrow in which the Australian has admitted retorting several times "speak English".

It's not just Warner but he's become the focal point for those who abhor the bitterness endemic in too much of modern cricket, invariably involving Australia.

India also have their share of angry young men who seem to spoil for a fight and won't back down. They now have a test captain, Virat Kohli, who embodies that aggressive stance.

Kohli will be around a long time and will have acolytes in the dressing room. From there, all it takes is a trigger remark.

Remember in the aftermath of the death of Phillip Hughes all those noble words spilling forth with Australian accents about using that tragedy as a means to inspire a change in attitudes, to heighten respect for opponents without losing the competitive spirit?

Great soundbites. Fat chance of succeeding.

That resolve lasted three days in the first test at Adelaide when Warner, Shane Watson, Kohli and Sharma all teed off. There were frequent flareups in the series.

The International Cricket Council are keen to get tough on the nastiness on the eve of the World Cup, with its accompanying global reach. An ICC source has talked of the "terrible publicity for the game" unedifying incidents would bring.

Zero tolerance has been mentioned. Umpires and match referees have been encouraged to clamp down on confrontational behaviour and the worst sledging. Amen to that.

This, of course, is not Australia's first run around the block of shame.

Nothing can be done about the past, but it can about the present.

When - not if - Warner's next bustup comes he should be given an extended holiday by cricket bosses. Time out to have a think. It's overdue.