David Warner cleared to hold leadership positions in Australian cricket ahead of BBL 14

David Warner is eligible to take on leadership roles with his Big Bash League (BBL) club Sydney Thunder after the lifetime ban imposed on him in the wake of the 2018 sandpaper scandal was altered by an independent panel.

The legendary opener retired from first-class and international limited-overs cricket earlier this year. His last appearance for the Men in Yellow came in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. He appeared before a three-member panel earlier this month and successfully presented his case to have the terms of the original sanction amended.

The panel—Alan Sullivan KC, Jeff Gleeson KC, and Jane Seawright—found unanimously that Warner had met all criteria for lifting the 2018 ban. It is important to note that the decision is effective immediately.

"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 says in its decision published on Friday, October 25.

"Mr Warner’s conduct and behaviour 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. The Review Panel is more than satisfied that Mr Warner will not engage in any conduct similar to that which occurred in 2018 which resulted in the sanction and that the sanction has thus had the relevant quality of specific deterrence," the panel added.

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According to the panel, Warner's sanction imposed six and a half years ago had "achieved its purpose." Cricket Australia (CA) did not oppose the two-time ODI World Cup winner's challenge to the ban imposed following events in Cape Town and confirmed that he is cleared to take on leadership roles in all cricket tournaments in Australia.

David Warner cleared to take on captaincy of Sydney Thunder in BBL 14

"In 2022 we updated the Code of Conduct to ensure there was a fair and rigorous process in place for all players and player support personnel to have long-term sanctions reviewed," Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer Nick Hockley said on Friday.

"I am pleased David has chosen to have his sanction reviewed and that he will be eligible to take up leadership positions in Australian Cricket this summer,: he added.

Warner was Steve Smith's deputy during the infamous sandpaper incident in 2018. He was in charge of his BBL side, Sydney Thunder, before serving the leadership ban. The 37-year-old can take up the captaincy role once again with the 2015-16 champions. In the previous edition, Chris Green replaced Jason Sangha as the captain of Sydney Thunder.

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They had a disastrous outing in the tournament as they finished at the foot of the table, having won a solitary clash against Melbourne Stars. The 2024-25 edition of BBL gets underway on December 15 as Perth Scorchers take on Melbourne Stars in the season opener. Meanwhile, Sydney Thunder begin their campaign on December 17 against Adelaide Strikers.