Kolkata : Former Australian iconic opener David Warner’s lifetime captaincy ban has been lifted by Cricket Australia, 6 years after the Ball tampering saga.
This implies that Warner can lead his side Sydney Thunder in Big Bash League.
Warner received the penalty for his role in the 2018 sandpaper scandal in South Africa, on top of a one-year ban from cricket, which was also imposed on Steve Smith with a lesser playing suspension given to Cameron Bancroft, who was caught on film rubbing and scuffing the ball with yellow sandpaper at a test match against South Africa in Cape Town.
The captaincy ban is now lifted by Cricket Australia on October 25 , 2024, with an independent three-member review panel who deemed the opener had met the necessary criteria.
Warner appeared before the independent panel content earlier this month. It ruled that he met the criteria to be considered for future leadership roles.
“The respectful and contrite tone of his (Warner’s) responses, as well as the content impressed the Review Panel and led it to the unanimous view that he was sincere and genuine in acknowledging responsibility for the conduct and in his statement that he had extreme remorse for his conduct,” the panel said in a statement Friday.
“Mr. Warner’s conduct and behavior since the imposition of the sanction has been excellent and he appears to have made a substantial change, one example of which is that he no longer sledges or tries to provoke the opposing team.”
In his appeal to overturn the ban, Warner included references from current Australian captain Pat Cummins, coach Andrew McDonald, and former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.
