The move could also be considered an early birthday present from Cricket Australia — David Warner turns 38 on Sunday.
David Warner’s lifetime captaincy and leadership ban has been lifted by Cricket Australia, a move which could see the retired test player captain the Sydney Thunder in the Twenty20 Big Bash league this season.
In Short
- Cricket Australia has overturned David Warner’s leadership ban
- Warner was banned from all forms of leadership back in 2018
- Warner was involved in a ball-tampering scandal in the Cape Town Test
Australia’s David Warner looks on
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 in Cape Town.
But the leadership sanction was lifted Friday by 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.
David Warner is second leading run scorer for Australia in international cricket.
“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.”
Warner played his final test match in January against Pakistan, an Australian win. He has also said he will no longer play one-day internationals, only the T20 format of the game.
The move could also be considered an early birthday present from Cricket Australia — Warner turns 38 on Sunday.
“Cricket Australia’s (CA) Conduct Commission has modified David Warner’s lifetime leadership ban effective immediately,” read an official statement.
“In a unanimous decision, the independent three-member Review Panel determined that Warner had met the necessary criteria to have the ban lifted.”
In its decision the panel noted “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 also considered references citing “the contribution that Mr Warner has made, and can make in the future, towards the development of young cricketers in Australia if they were given the opportunity to be led by Mr Warner, his important continuing role in fostering interest in cricket especially with the South Asian community in Australia and generally.”