Candice Warner lashes 'injustice' against David: 'It bothers me'
Candice Warner, the wife of Australian cricketer David, has weighed in on controversial leadership ban debate surrounding her husband.
The subject has been thrust back into the spotlight recently, with Australia Test captain Pat Cummins backing calls for Cricket Australia (CA) to overturn Warner's lifetime leadership ban.
The CA board is reportedly considering the controversial move, with Warner having been issued the ban over his role in the infamous Cape Town ball-tampering scandal in 2018.
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Warner was widely reported to be the 'mastermind' behind the plan, which resulted in Cameron Bancroft being caught applying sandpaper to the ball during a Test match against South Africa.
Bancroft was hit with a nine-month ban by Cricket Australia, while Warner and then-captain Steve Smith were both suspended for 12 months.
Smith was banned from holding a leadership role for two years, while Warner was deemed never to hold a leadership position for the rest of his career.
Discussing the issue on Triple M radio, Candice savaged the lifetime ban and described it as an 'injustice' against her husband.
“Yeah it bothers me. I don’t like injustice so it does bother me,” she said.
“But it doesn’t really bother him because he can go and captain in the UAE, he can go and captain in India where people appreciate his cricketing brain and what he can bring to a team.”
According to News Corp journalist Ben Horne, CA will discuss the option of lifting the ban at their next board meeting in July.
Push for David Warner to make Big Bash return
CA are reportedly desperate to have Warner play in the Big Bash, which he hasn't done since its inaugural season in 2011-12.
Warner would be a huge drawcard for the Big Bash, with the domestic T20 showpiece suffering from a lack of interest and low crowd numbers in recent years.
“I know we’d love to have Dave in the BBL and if there are other things that need to happen to make that possible, that’s for others to resolve,” BBL chief Alistar Dobson told News Corp.
“David has been such a champion of Australian cricket and he’s a player that we’d love to have in the BBL.
Candice - who has spoken previously about her husband's reluctance to play Big Bash in Australia while banned from leadership roles - hinted that his chances of playing T20 cricket back home may be slim.
“David has an incredible T20 record in India, in Australia, he’s one of our best ever,” Candice added.
“Regardless of whether the ban is lifted of not, if he plays Big Bash, it’s a decision we talk about what’s best for the family in this period,
“Also there’s another league going on in the UAE, which financially (has) much bigger money. It’s not just a matter of lifting Dave’s ban, it’s a matter of what’s best for our family. And Dave’s just accepted he has this ban now.”
News of the possibility of Warner's ban being lifted sparked a mixed reaction amongst cricket fans, but one person who is strongly in favour of the option is Aussie skipper Cummins.
“Fundamentally, banning someone for life I disagree with,” the Aussie Test captain told The Herald Sun.
“People are allowed to learn and improve and grow. So yeah, fundamentally I disagree with that concept.
“He’s a fantastic leader around our squad here. If he has a formal role, he’d be fantastic with that as well. So if that ever came up, he’d be great.”
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