Crash: David Warner has Cricket Australia living in fear

At first glance, Cricket Australia holds all the cards in its tortured relationship with David Warner but, after the Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft interviews, that might not be the case, writes Robert Craddock.

Could David Warner throw Australian cricket into turmoil again? Picture: Getty Images

THE most vexing question in the great ball tampering scandal is who is controlling whom in the tortured relationship between David Warner and Cricket Australia.

At first glance, of course, Cricket Australia is firmly in the driving seat.

They exposed Warner as the architect of the ball tampering scandal, banned him for a year and may never invite him back.

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Could David Warner throw Australian cricket into turmoil again? Picture: Getty Images

In the light of Australia’s push for a new era and fresh standards there is a strong argument to suggest if you cut Warner from the team for good you solve all of Australia’s cultural problems.

But it’s not that simple.

Warner has Australia living in fear for he is the only man who knows the full story behind the ball-tampering scandal.

And given the narrow parameters of the Cricket Australia investigation in South Africa there simply has to be more to it.

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The fact that only a handful of players were interviewed and only that one Test was fully examined left two questions hanging in the air which were never answered — did others know and did it happen before?

Warner knows the answer to both questions.

The situation Australia fears most is dropping Warner then having him unleash with a tell-all interview that exposes other key people in Australia.

The men with a decisive say on Warner’s recall are national selectors Trevor Hohns, Greg Chappell and Justin Langer particularly now that Australia has accepted a recommendation of the Longstaff review that good character is an official part of team selection.

Justin Langer will have a big say on whether David Warner makes it back into the Australian team. Picture: Getty Images

Hohns has always been a stickler for good behaviour.

Even when he was a leg-spinning all-rounder back in the rough and tumble 1970s and 80s he was a player renowned for putting the core in decorum in an era when political incorrectness meant misspelling the name of the Prime Minister.

While always enjoying the game’s flamboyant characters — he loves Jeff Thomson — Hohns has little tolerance for grubby on field behaviour and would have been mortified by the ball tampering scandal.

No matter what decision he sanctions the Warner verdict will surely cause him great discomfort for in a sense it is a lose-lose situation.

Langer is an interesting one because most coaches are stimulated by the challenge of reforming the game’s roughest diamonds.

He needs Warner’s runs but at what cost?

Langer is also charged with the responsibility of restoring the credibility of the Australian team in the wake of the South African scandal.

Progress has been made this summer. Australia at last has a team it likes.

If Warner is recalled and misbehaves he dumps the team back to where it was nine months ago.

A place where it never wants to return.

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