David Warner leaves the field during a 2016 Chappell-Hadlee match. Photo / Photosport
Cricket Australia has scrapped the lifetime leadership ban on David Warner that was controversially handed down after the Newlands ball-tampering incident.
An independent three-member review panel unanimously determined Warner met the criteria to have his ban overturned after the former test opener appealed to Cricket Australia (CA).
This week, the panel found Warner was genuinely contrite in taking responsibility for the 2018 “Sandpapergate” saga, of which he was considered the architect.
It also gave weight to Warner’s track record mentoring the next generation of cricketers, and his role in fostering interest in the game amongst Australia’s South Asian communities.
The decision scraps the last remaining sanction left over from the chain of events in South Africa and paves the way for Warner to hold a formal leadership role with the BBL’s Sydney Thunder this summer.