Australian batsman Adam Voges says he learned the hard way that drinking and cricket need to be carefully managed.
The 33-year-old has been around the block and has a comforting message for David Warner, that one alcohol-related misdemeanour doesn’t leave a stain forever.
However, he’s seen at Western Australia what damage bad choices can make on individuals and the team.
Voges is the current captain of WA and about as steady a head on and off the field as you can find in the game.
But Voges says it took a learning curve for him to find his maturity as a cricketer.
The test for Warner is to learn from his mistake in Birmingham, where he punched England player Joe Root, and show his teammates and fans that he’s serious about making a change.
“I think I’ve learned over time that you just pick your time and place. And I’ve had to learn that the hard way too when I was younger,” Voges told AAP.
“I missed a one-day game for Western Australia when I was late for a recovery session. It was a long, long time ago now. It was a mistake I made but learnt from and it hasn’t happened since.
“The more I’ve played you work out we’re not robots and we do need to unwind and relax at times. But picking those times is probably the most important thing.”
Voges is also a good example to Warner, because of how hard he’s found opportunities to come by during his career.
His time in and out of the Australian team since 2007 has had absolutely nothing to do with misbehaviour.
But it’s a lesson to Warner that no one has a right to play for their country.
Warner doesn’t want to think he’s invincible and next minute find himself on the outer.
Captain Michael Clarke has also encouraged Warner with stories about his own journey.
Clarke has endured some rocky times off the field, and says nobody is perfect.
“You have some tough days, you make some errors in judgement,” Clarke said.
“But the most important thing is you get up and you learn from your mistakes.
“I think that’s the most important thing for David right now.
“There’s been a couple of incidents over the past month that he’s certainly not proud of and we’re not proud of as an Australian team.
“He’ll learn from this. It’ll make him a better person. It’ll make him a better player.
“I have the confidence in David that we won’t be sitting here having this conversation again.”
