Sydney, Australia

Recently retired from Tests, Australia opener David Warner will land at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in a helicopter straight from his brother’s wedding to play for Sydney Thunders against Sydney Sixers in a BBL Sydney derby on Friday. Warner will attend his brother’s wedding in the Hunter Valley before boarding his helicopter from Cessnock airport for the SCG.

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Although the initial plan was to use the Allianz Stadium close to the cricket ground for landing, it was dropped at the last minute. Warner will now land on the outfield around where the ‘Thanks Dave’ logo was printed during his farewell Test against Pakistan. 

If the weather permits, the attacking batter will touch down at the ground at around 5 pm for a full-house fixture.

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Speaking about this grand welcome David is about to get at his home ground for his first BBL match this season, teammate Gurinder Sandhu said, that for him to come from his brother’s wedding for the match is a lot of effort in the first place, adding everyone loves having Warner around, even the fans.

"He's going to a lot of effort to come and play for us," Thunder quick Gurinder Sandhu said. 

"We love having him here. Last year, he was awesome for us, maybe didn't score as many runs as he would have liked, but around the group and passing on knowledge was awesome to have him around. He's one of the better team men. All the fans get to enjoy him playing cricket," he added.

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On the other hand, Thunders' seamer and Warner’s national side mate Sean Abbot called this ‘Hollywood’.

"He is a bit Hollywood, isn't he, that's very Davey," Sean Abbott of Sydney Sixers joked. "I got the Lime bike in today, and I'll be doing the same tomorrow night and riding out the gate as Davey lands.

"I'm glad they are making it happen because (I) think everyone in the country who is a fan of cricket wants to see David Warner in the BBL, and I'm really looking forward to coming up against him. One of the best players in the world and has been for a long time,” Abbot added.

Smith to join Warner in BBL

While David Warner will rejoin the Thunders side for the Sydney derby, his longtime teammate and friend Steve Smith has made himself available for the Sixers. 

Though Warner had initially planned to skip the white-ball series against West Indies to appear for Dubai Capitals in the UAE-based ILT20 league, he will return from the gulf to play the West Indies T20Is and has communicated the same to make himself available for the T20 World Cup later in June.