Cricket Australia (CA) announced on Friday that the lifetime ban on David Warner from holding leadership positions, imposed due to his involvement in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, has been lifted.

Branded as the ringleader of the plan to tamper with the ball during the third test against South Africa in Cape Town six years ago, the Australian opening batsman retired from international cricket earlier this year. Though Warner has never publicly detailed his role in the Newlands incident, he has since mended his relationship with Cricket Australia and sought to have his leadership ban lifted.

In addition to Warner, vice-captain Warner and captain Steve Smith were banned from elite cricket by Cricket Australia for a year, while Cameron Bancroft received a nine-month suspension.

Cricket Australia stated that an independent three-member review panel unanimously agreed that Warner met the criteria for his ban to be lifted. The 37-year-old has expressed his desire to continue playing in Twenty20 leagues for a few more years, and with the ban lifted, he can now captain his Big Bash League team, Sydney Thunder, and pursue future coaching roles within Australian cricket.

Source: The Financial Express

BDST: 1056 HRS, OCT 25, 2024
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