Shape up or get out. That is the message for David Warner from former Australia coach John Buchanan as the embattled batsman fights to save his Test career amid an apparent feud with his team-mates over the ball-tampering crisis.
Warner will return home from South Africa after Cricket Australia on Tuesday announced the departures of the vice-captain, skipper Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft following their role in the ball-tampering scandal during the infamous third Test.
Bancroft admitted to attempting to alter the condition of the ball with tape on day three in Cape Town on Saturday, with the disgraced trio facing further sanctions, while Darren Lehmann will continue in his role as coach, with Tim Paine awarded the captaincy.
However, the fallout has since centred on Warner and his relationship with his Australia team-mates, amid reports the squad have turned on the 31-year-old.
Speculation has emerged that Warner – known for his aggressive and often controversial approach which reared its head following an altercation with South Africa's Quinton de Kock during the opening Test – was allegedly behind the decision for Bancroft to tamper with the ball at Newlands. Such claims have reportedly been denied by sources close to Warner.
World Cup-winning coach Buchanan said Warner needs to have a good look at himself if he is to remain in Australia's future plans.
Buchanan told Omnisport: "To really produce high performance, you do need a group that is quite united, albeit that you will always have conflict in a group of people travelling together – it's like a big family.
"That really becomes one of the key roles of the coach and the leadership group to deal with that and make sure it doesn't fester and become cancerous within the group.
"In terms of different camps in the group, even prior to the South African tour, possibly the group was a bit fragile in terms of that culture, which has manifested itself in the third Test.
"I think that was accelerated by the debacle in the first Test match. For someone like Warner, setting him aside from Smith and Bancroft, he is a person who does need to really have a good look at himself and the way he goes about playing cricket.
"He has talked about 'live by the sword, die by the sword'. Well in this case, he's dying by the sword.
"If the Australian team is to turn things around have the right environment, which allows the best culture and best way of playing the game into the future, Warner will really have to modify the way he behaves to fit back in. If he can't do that or chooses not to do that, I don't think there's any place for him in the future of the Australian team."
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