Australian Test batsmen David Warner is likely to be charged with detrimental public comment for his Twitter outburst under Cricket Australia's (CA) code of conduct, delivering a setback to his leadership aspirations.
Condemning Warner, CA's high-performance chief Pat Howard had confirmed that Warner will be disciplined after using the social networking site to launch a savage attack on cricket journalists Malcolm Conn and Robert Craddock, News.com.au reports.
According to the report, the Test opener, who took to Twitter to direct an expletive-laden blast after taking exception to articles critical of the Indian Premier League, may be charged if it is proven his Twitter account was not hacked.
Criticising Warner's actions, Howard said that the attack was unnecessary, adding that he is seeking an explanation from Warner, who labelled one of the journalists as a "p...k" and branded the other an 'old fart'.
Howard further said that Warner, who has more than 190,000 followers on Twitter, had to be mindful of the behavioural benchmarks set eight weeks ago when Mitchell Johnson, Usman Khawaja, James Pattinson and Shane Watson were suspended from a Test in India for failing to take part in a performance review.
Stating that he had been made aware of Warner's comments and will be reviewing them, Howard further said that the circumstances do not look positive for Warner, adding that the CA needs to be consistent and transparent
According to Howard, although the CA encourages players and even staff to engage with fans on the social platform, it is necessary for them to maintain the responsibility and the delicate balance between jokes and abuse, adding that he expected the cricketers to maintain the high standards of the game.
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The report mentioned that the combative left-hander had spoke recently of his desire to succeed Michael Clarke as Australian captain, but the Twitter indiscretion is sure to be a black mark against his name.
Warner is in India representing the Delhi Daredevils in the Twenty20 tournament which was rocked by allegations of spot-fixing against three players, including star Indian paceman S.Sreesanth, the report added.