David Warner: Explosive both on and off the pitch

He punches down the ground and slaps it over mid-wicket. He bludgeons it over long-on and clubs it out of the park. This has been David Warner's batting style in 19 Tests, 39 ODIs and 44 T20Is he has played for Australia.

But Warner has been equally 'explosive' off the pitch as a bar brawl between 1:30 am and 2:30 am (England time) on June 9 would suggest. Warner apparently walked over from a VIP area and allegedly swung a punch at England's middle-order batsman Joe Root, who took a glancing blow on his chin. The 26-year-old was then given the axe for Australia's Champions Trophy match against New Zealand, although he did appear as 12th man.

The hearing was the second in three weeks for the explosive opener and has raised concerns about the culture of the Australian cricket team going into the Ashes. Earlier in 2013, Warner was called before a hearing after a heated social media tirade against two of the country's top cricket writers after he took exception to a story in Sydney's Daily Telegraph critical of the Indian Premier League.

Warner, diminutive in comparison to his teammates, is known for his aggressive batting style since childhood. In fact, as a 13-year old, he was asked to switch to a right-hand stance for hitting too many balls in the air. That notion was quickly put to rest but his habit to switch-hit remains.

Known more for his T20 skills initially, Warner started for Australian state New South Wales (NSW) in 2007 in a Twenty20 match against Queensland. He played his first First-Class game on March 5, 2009.

His breakthrough innings came against Tasmania when he bludgeoned 165* to record the highest domestic one day score by a NSW player. A 54-ball 97 also against Tasmania to narrowly miss the record for the fastest ever century in Australian domestic cricket, was another jewel in his crown.

This catapulted Warner to a call-up for Australia's T20 side and he made an immediate impact, scoring 89 off 43 balls with 7 fours and 6 sixes, including the then second-fastest fifty in Twenty20 International history. Within a week of his first T20I, he was playing for the Kangaroos in the one-day arena.

The swashbuckling opener though had to wait for over 2 years since his international debut, for getting what every Australian cricketer aspires for - the Baggy Green (Test cap). That came against New Zealand in December 2011, but Warner failed to make an impact in that game.

Nicknamed 'Mario', this 'raging bull' from Australia, needs to get his priorities straight though. With 2 disciplinary hearings 'on the trot', another Andrew Symonds could be in the making.

David Warner Factfile:

Name: David Andrew Warner

Born: October 27, 1986, Paddington, New South Wales

Teams: Australia, Australia A, Australia Under-19s, Delhi Daredevils, Durham, Middlesex, New South Wales, Northern Districts, Sydney Thunder

ODIs: 1133 runs (39 matches)

Tests: 1263 runs (19 matches)

T20Is: 1206 runs (44 matches)

(updated till June 13, 2013)