‘They allow celebrity to bowl…’: David Warner recalls Tom Curran’s BBL controversy, defends him over pitch row

David Warner was once again caught amid controversy, as a social media post on X by the former Australian opener was called out for misrepresenting the facts of a situation. Currently participating in the Big Bash League as an opener for the Sydney Thunder, Warner tried to raise a hue and cry about the Big Bash tradition of a celebrity bowling the first ball but was quickly shut down by fans online.

Posting on X, Warner brought up the incident of Tom Curran being provided a four-game ban last season, writing “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, community notes and plenty of fans were quick to point out that Curran’s ban wasn’t a result of his decision to run on the pitch before the game, as much as it was a brain fade of a moment in which he charged down the pitch while the match official was asking him to mark and practice his run-up on the strip next to the playing surface.

Curran was sanctioned for intimidation of the umpire, with the two involved in a face-off that left the player in hot water after the incident.

Warner takes issue with celebrity first ball tradition

Warner’s comment comes presumably after Australian veterinarian and social media influencer Dr. Chris Brown bowled the celebrity first ball in that day’s match between the Brisbane Heat and the Hobart Hurricanes, delivering on the match strip as opposed to a practice wicket as has been the norm in the tournament.

Curran now plies his trade at the Melbourne Stars, with Curran having made the switch for this season after previously having represented Warner’s cross-town rivals, the Sydney Sixers. It has been a relatively quiet season for the English all-rounder, only having taken two wickets and contributing 80 runs with the bat.

Warner, however, has enjoyed a good spell opening the batting. He currently leads the run-scorers charts with 324 runs in 8 matches. He has been opening the batting for the Sydney Thunder alongside Sam Konstas, the teenager seen as his long-term replacement in the Australian Test team.