Pat Cummins makes bombshell call on David Warner's leadership ban
Pat Cummins has backed calls for Cricket Australia to overturn David Warner's lifetime leadership ban amid reports the CA board are strongly considering the controversial move.
Warner is currently banned from holding a leadership role at any level of Australian cricket over his actions in the 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.
However it emerged last week that Cricket Australia is considering overturning Warner's ban.
According to News Corp journalist Ben Horne, CA will discuss the option of lifting the ban at their next board meeting in July.
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 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.”
Cricket Australia want Warner to play Big Bash
Cricket Australia are reportedly desperate to have Warner play in the Big Bash, which he hasn't done since 2013.
Speaking during the Ashes series last year, Warner's wife Candice said he was unlikely to ever play in the Big Bash while banned from holding a leadership position.
Candice suggested her husband would rather play in overseas T20 leagues where he could captain his side.
“It is disappointing because at this stage, when David decides to retire from Test cricket, he won’t play Big Bash,” she said in December.
“And that’s really disappointing for the Australian fans and kids and anyone who loves T20 cricket - the fact that David Warner will never play Big Bash again.
“You also have to consider that there’s so many leagues around the world that are shorter than the Big Bash.
“The Big Bash is a very long tournament. There are tournaments in Dubai in January that may be a better option with the family. David can still be with us Christmas and fly to Dubai early January for a shorter period of time.
“So that is also an option as well and in a few years time, who knows what other tournaments will be going on around the world.”
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.
“We know he’s got great history with the Sydney Thunder and we’d love all the Australian players to be playing in the BBL if they’re available. If there’s a way that David could find his way onto a BBL list I think it would be huge.”
News of Warne's ban potentially being lifted has heavily divided fans, with some labelling it a 'disgrace'.
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