David Warner's brutal swipe at Cricket Australia: 'Not a criminal'
David Warner has taken a swipe at Cricket Australia after being informed he will be required to prove his case in order to gain any leadership position.
The 36-year-old ban is hoping to have the indefinite ban on him holding leadership positions, imposed in the wake of the 2018 ball-tampering saga, overturned.
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For the first time since the incident, Cricket Australia have indicated to Warner that they are open to dropping his ban, nine months after being urged to consider doing so by the players' union.
Warner's path to a potential captaincy spot was opened on Monday, when the CA board passed changes to the sporting code.
The Test opener will now have the opportunity to front a three-person CA panel, and outline his case as to why the ban should be overturned.
Despite this, Warner says he is frustrated by how long the saga has drawn out for, arguing CA could have gone down this path months earlier when it was initially raised by the union.
"It's frustrating because we could have done this about nine months ago (in February) when it was first brought up," he said.
"It's a tad disappointing that when you make a decision in 2018 it's in four days, and then this takes nine months.
"It actually makes me look like I'm campaigning, which I'm totally not, so from my perspective that's where it's been disappointing. It's good to get in a position where it gives me an opportunity to ring up the integrity unit to have a word to them and put forward my case.
"It's been drawn out and it's traumatic for me and my family and everyone else who was involved in it; we don't need to relive what happened."
Warner is hoping to have the matter sorted before the beginning of the Big Bash League, which gets under way on December 13, in order to potentially captain the Sydney Thunder.
David Warner frustrated by lengthy wait for leadership hearing
Warner says the fact it has taken so long for him to be able to make a case to CA after his punishment was initially decided in a matter of days was deeply irritating.
Between CA's headquarters being located in Melbourne and Warner being required on a jam-packed summer calendar for Australia, there's no guarantee he will get the chance to present to the panel before the BBL season starts.
Under previous rules, players and officials were unable to ever have sanctions reviewed, appealed or lifted after initial penalties were handed down.
However, any sanctioned player will now be able to make a case for long-term penalties to be eased if they can prove they have shown remorse and their behaviour has changed.
"I'm not a criminal. You should get the right of an appeal at some stage," Warner said.
"I understand that they put a ban in place, but banning someone for life, I think it's a bit harsh.
"I'm a leader in the team, no matter what, you (just) don't need to see a C or a VC next to my name."
CA stressed any application would not be a review of the initial ban, but rather of the player's behaviour since, and his or her justification for lifting sanctions.
"These circumstances and considerations will include whether the subject of the sanction has demonstrated genuine remorse," the statement read.
The leadership of Australia's Twenty20 team is also likely to be up for grabs in the next six months, as Aaron Finch weighs his future, and with Warner keen to play at the 2024 World Cup.
Warner's push to have his ban lifted has the support of several teammates, including current Test and white-ball skippers Cummins and Finch.
Fellow star batter Marnus Labuschagne said he could easily envisage Warner captaining Australia.
"His knowledge on the game, and the way he thinks about the game is very good," Labuschagne told reporters.
With AAP
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