His remark that “I just want to move on from this” was absolutely the truth, but it was spoken by a man living in fantasy land if he thought that was going to happen.

A week after Warner, Cameron Bancroft and Steve Smith conspired to tamper with a cricket ball in the third Test in Cape Town, the public still have few answers. There has been a flood of tears rather than facts.

Less was more in this instance, with many increasingly suspicious of just what Warner is hiding. There was a deafening silence as he paused before answering questions, looking like a man desperate to exonerate himself.

This was an extraordinary press conference with a slightly different feeling to that of Smiths on Thursday evening.

Entering the room with his wife Candice, who has been a central figure in the events that have transpired over the past few weeks, Warner kissed his partner before facing the music.

There was a statement read out and perhaps the most telling part of it was that he conceded he may never represent Australia again.

But the cricketing public want answers, not spin. Journalists were unable to elicit answers from Warner regarding his exact involvement in the tampering affair, who was there and whether he had engaged in it before. Then the knives came out.

As this was unfolding, Candice was an emotional mess at the back of the room. When Warners people signalled to a Cricket Australia media manager that enough questions had been asked, he was whisked out the back while Candice broke down.

With little news to come out of the press conference, members of the press went for the kill as he hurried away, shouting questions after him.

“Whose idea was it?”

“What actually happened?”

“Why wont you answer the question?”

When comparing Warners press conference performance to Smiths, the former captain might be in front from a public perception but was so distraught he too failed to provide crucial answers.

Warner was told to stick to a script, perhaps so he can launch legal action against Cricket Australia to appeal against his 12-month ban.

When he arrived in Sydney on Thursday night, Warner told reporters his priority was to “get my mind a bit clear to think”.

In hindsight, that translates to: “get legal advice and memorise a get-out-of-jail sentence”.

Here was a perfect chance to come clean, to have the courage to do more than “take full responsibility” and give the Australian public the facts they have every right to know.

The last time Warner cried in public was when Phillip Hughes died in 2014. Just a few hundred metres away from where the fatal blow occurred during that infamous shield match at the SCG, Warner once again let it all out.

Was he apologising because he got caught? For being the reason why other teammates have been branded cheats?

Or perhaps for other reasons – like not being able to give the real side of the story for fear of throwing petrol onto fire on a windy day.

As much as Warner wants this saga to go away, the reality is this is just the beginning.

Comments disabled

Tom Decent is a journalist with Fairfax Media.

Morning & Afternoon Newsletter

Delivered Mon–Fri.