Kangaroo opener David Warner has blasted Cricket Australia (CA) for treating him as if he was a criminal, claiming the process to overturn his captaincy ban has been “drawn-out” and disappointing.
Cricket Australia (CA) made official the changes to its code of conduct on November 21 and that makes players eligible to submit a review request against long-term sanctions.
The process to allow a review for the opener has been 9 months long, with Pat Cummins (current ODI and Test skipper) having made it clear ages ago that he’d like to share leadership duties with others, including David.
David Warner labels the captaincy ban review process TRAUMATIC
Talking to Australian media on Monday, the dashing opener said, “It is a tad disappointing that when you make a decision (of lifetime ban) in 2018 it is in 4 days, and then this (review) takes nine months”.
David Warner has been public about his ambition to lead Australia in international cricket again and though he has welcomed the chance to finally be able to plea against the captaincy ban, he has labelled the saga traumatic.
“It’s (the saga) been drawn out and it has been traumatic for me and my family and everyone else who was involved in it– we don’t need to relive what happened.”
For the unversed, David Warner was slapped with a lifetime ban from captaincy (leadership) in the Kangaroo setup after he was identified as the mastermind behind the infamous Newlands Sandpaper-gate saga that unfurled in 2018.
“I am not a criminal. I understand they (CA) put a ban in place. But banning someone for life? I think it is a bit harsh”. I am a leader in the team, no matter what. Don’t need to see a C (captain) or a VC (vice-captain) next to my name”.
Though Warner has not been the designated captain for Australia in recent times, he has often been at the heart of strategic discussion on the field. The batsman has also (in the past) led Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with aplomb.
The chance to submit plea against the captaincy ban comes in the nick of time for David Warner as Finch is excepted to step down from the role in T20Is soon and David is the frontrunner to replace him as the skipper.