David Warner’s leadership ban labelled ‘unfair’ but could be challenged if BBL club takes up the fight

David Warner’s leadership ban has been labelled unfair and a farce. Is it time for it to finally end? This is how it could happen.

Should David Warner have his leadership ban lifted? Picture: AAP Images

Cricket Australia could be prepared to revisit David Warner’s leadership ban if a request was put to them to do so, as one of the game’s leading player voices branded his lifetime exile “unfair.”

Respected star and Australian Cricketers Association board member Moises Henriques has joined a growing chorus of big names arguing it’s an injustice that Warner can never hold a leadership position again, particularly now Steve Smith has been - in his view - rightly welcomed back as vice-captain.

Ian Chappell and Shane Warne have claimed the permanent ban imposed by Cricket Australia over Sandpapergate has been exposed as a farce.

Cricket Australia declined to comment, but it’s understood administrators would not be necessarily opposed to re-examining the case if it was taken up with them by a Big Bash club, the ACA or Warner’s own camp.

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Should David Warner have his leadership ban lifted? Picture: Brett Costello

If a BBL club made an application, it’s understood the ACA would stand alongside them and support the proposal as would broadcasters Fox Cricket and Channel 7 who don’t want Warner lost to the domestic competition post his international career.

So far that has not happened.

Henriques, one of Australian cricket’s most intelligent and articulate voices, said Warner’s ban has been shown to be short-sighted and is only hurting the Australian team and Australian cricket.

“I definitely think that’s not fair. Anyone who goes through that and experiences that sort of outing and exile that those guys experienced, understands the ramifications of a bad culture or the consequences of when you take things too far. Anyone who learns the hard way like that you’d almost suggest are better suited for leadership roles in the future than if they didn’t learn at all,” Henriques told News Corp.

“There’s a lot of guys in the team at the moment who didn’t have to learn the hard way, or probably learnt a hard way, but didn’t have to deal with the consequences that David, Cameron (Bancroft) and Steve did.

“I definitely think in David’s case, the fact Steve is back sharing leadership roles and will probably captain Australia again at some stage because I can’t see Pat (Cummins) playing every single tour forever … I just think it would be silly not to tap into (Warner’s) experience of ‘geez, this happened and I came through the other side and I’m better for it.’

“… To just go, ‘no, you’ll never, ever be good enough or OK to lead’ (I think is wrong).”

Just as he believes Smith is better positioned for captaincy and vice captaincy now after everything he has been through, Henriques believes Warner would be a better leader now than he was back in 2018 when he’d just led Australia’s T20 team to No.1 in the world in the weeks’ before Cape Town erupted.

“Whatever sort of journey in anyone’s life we all go through those ups and downs and he’s had to deal with a pretty significant one there in his professional career and he’s come back and done well for Australia. They’ve just won the T20 World Cup and he was heavily featured in that as well,” said Henriques.

Steve Smith is back in a leadership position. Picture: AAP Images

“There’s a lot of learnings he can give people and whether we like it or not, there’s a lot of learnings in what he shouldn’t do. He made some mistakes in the past, he’s been quite authentic in his honesty about that.

“There’s something to be said about, ‘I’ve not always done it the right way, I’ve made mistakes, but I’ve learnt from them and I can show you the mistakes you don’t want to make and the mistakes that are healthy to make and keep learning from.

“I definitely feel they’d be silly not to tap into that.”

Warne told News Corp this week Warner’s ban needed to be reconsidered.

“I think he’s got the best cricket brain in the team,” he said.

“He’s a very, very good leader … and to not be considered was a bit disappointing for me.”