- David Warner said he thought the town of Oamaru was a ghost town
- Mayor says the city has a good hardware store with a range of sandpaper
- Mayor then invited Warner to come back and visit
The mayor of Ōamaru in New Zealand has blasted David Warner with a cheeky comment after the Australian star called his home a ‘ghost town’.
The outgoing cricket great is part of the Australian Twenty20 squad and will play three matches against New Zealand from Wednesday.
Earlier this week, Warner recalled playing in New Zealand’s national T20 competition for the Northern Districts Knights in 2010 when he made four runs from six balls.
“My first game was in Ōamaru, so that was an eye-opener,” recalls Warner.
“I literally thought it was a ghost town. I think it was a Saturday or something and there was just no one there.”
David Warner said earlier this week he thought New Zealand’s Ōamaru was a ghost town – and one local didn’t take that comment lightly
Ōamaru Mayor Gary Kircher (pictured, right) said Warner was “out of touch” and that the town had a good hardware store with a wide variety of sandpaper and other abrasive products
“We were playing legitimately on a football field. It was quite crazy coming from Australia and we’re playing on a rugby league pitch and I’m thinking ‘what’s going on here?’
‘But it was good. I enjoyed it, really enjoyed it.’
Ōamaru Mayor Gary Kircher said on Tuesday that Warner was “out of touch” with the area and fired back with a cutting response that referenced the 2018 ball-tampering scandal known as Sandpapergate.
“I can’t help but feel that Mr Warner dampened his experience in Ōamaru by falling behind after just six balls,” Kircher said.
‘However, we are very proud of North Otago and its slower pace of life. His crude comments cannot take the shine off our community.
‘In the almost fourteen years since his visit, much has changed for Ōamaru as a city and tourist destination.
“We’ve seen rising tourist numbers, local businesses are excelling and have become a magnet for New Zealanders looking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.”
Kircher said the city even had the best hardware store in the country, “with a wide range of sandpaper and other sanding products – something Mr. Warner is more than familiar with.”
The mayor encouraged Warner (pictured with wife Candice) to visit the city again once the ‘Black Caps are done with him’
Warner says the last time he visited New Zealand he was subject to personal attacks from locals
The mayor then invited Warner to come back and do some sightseeing: “If he has time to come visit, we’d like to show him around Ōamaru – as soon as the Black Caps are done with him.”
Warner claims that during a 2016 visit he was subjected to vicious beatings by mobs, including attacks on his family.
“They got personal,” the opener said Monday.
‘If they have to get personal, that’s their character. I’ll just go about my business. That is up to each individual.
“If you want to pay your money to come and abuse people, you know you have to go back and lie in your own bed.
“We get to play the game of cricket we love.”