David Warner can officially apply to have his lifetime leadership ban overturned after the Cricket Australia board accepted a recommendation to change the players’ code of conduct.
Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were all given playing bans for their role in the 2018 sandpaper scandal, and while Smith, who was captain at the time, received a 12-month ban from leadership, Warner was singled out for the lifetime ban.
After a CA investigation, it was alleged Warner was responsible for the “development of a plan to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball” and instructing “a junior player to carry out a plan”, with Bancroft taking sandpaper onto the field in Cape Town.
But a request from the CA board to address the players’ code of conduct has allowed them to “have long-term sanctions modified”.
That paves the way for Warner to appeal to the CA board to have his ban lifted, or possibly changed, to at least allow him to captain a Big Bash team.
Warner has signed with the Sydney Thunder for this year’s tournament after a special deal was done with CA.
“Under the changes, players and support staff can now apply to have long-term sanctions modified,” Cricket Australia explained in a media release on Monday.
“Any applications will be considered by a three-person review panel, comprising independent code of conduct commissioners, which must be satisfied that exceptional circumstances exist to justify modifying a sanction.
“These circumstances and considerations will include whether the subject of the sanction has demonstrated genuine remorse; the subject’s conduct and behaviour since the imposition of the sanction; whether rehabilitation programs have been completed undertaken (if applicable) and the length of time that has passed since the sanction was imposed and whether sufficient time has passed to allow for reform or rehabilitation.
“The code of conduct states this process: acknowledges that players and player support personnel are capable of genuine reform or rehabilitation and is intended to provide the player or player support personnel with an opportunity to resume their previously held positions or responsibilities in specific circumstances.
“The hearing of an application is not an appeal or a review of the original sanction imposed.”
Smith has captained Australia since, in an Ashes Test in Adelaide last year when Pat Cummins was not available.
But he was overlooked at the SCG on Saturday, with questions asked as to why fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was chosen as captain, with Cummins rested from the ODI clash with England.
