David Warner’s new captaincy shows few serve life any more

The fading incidence of ethical behaviour in public life has touched one of our most treasured national myths with the naming of David Warner as captain of Sydney Thunder for the coming Big Bash season.

Six years ago, the Cricket Australia XI, an institution that has existed longer than the nation itself, was exposed as a team of cheats courtesy of Warner, who as vice-captain of the side, was the architect of a notorious ball-tampering scandal.

David Warner was the architect of notorious ball-tampering scandal “Sandpapergate” in 2018. Credit: Nick Moir

In March 2018, at the Newlands ground in Cape Town, South Africa, umpires spoke to young Australian fielder Cameron Bancroft about his actions in rubbing a piece of sandpaper against the ball. Captain Steve Smith and the instigator of the plan, Warner, were stripped of their positions and, along with Bancroft, sent home.

Governing body Cricket Australia banned Smith and Warner from all state and international cricket for a year, Bancroft for nine months and ordered all three to do 100 hours of community service. Smith would not be eligible for any kind of leadership role in the Australian team for another two years and Warner never again.

Now the board of Cricket NSW has ratified Warner’s appointment as Thunder skipper, the 38-year-old replacing Chris Green for the tournament starting on December 15. It is a thunderous turnaround, given that the prime minister at the time, Malcolm Turnbull, slammed the cheats. “Our cricketers are role models and cricket is synonymous with fair play,” he said.

Fair play is regularly evoked as the spirit of cricket. But the English played our man Bradman rather than the bails in the 1932-33 Bodyline tour of Australia, and Trevor Chappell’s underarm delivery of the last ball of a one-day international match against New Zealand in 1981 suggests that the spirit has long been weak.

Australian cricket had been coarsened by some 40 years of misbehaviour as a new era of professionalism created superstars, a win-at-all-cost mentality and emerging cricket leagues coupled with betting on matches that resulted in unprecedented numbers of cricketers banned or fined for match-fixing or spot-fixing. Shane Warne copped a 1994 secret fine from the Australian Cricket Board for providing information to an Indian bookmaker.

“Sandpapergate” stopped all that. The penalties served as a salient warning to all players.

That said, the punishments handed out to the trio differed widely in impact. Bancroft was picked for the Ashes the following year, but his international career spluttered and he now plays English county cricket. Smith returned, too, even occasionally skippering Australia. Warner re-entered the fold, but despite resuming a dashing career was firmly kept from leadership.

The cricket administration leadership has entirely changed since the ball-tampering scandal. When Warner announced his retirement from international cricket, an independent panel met behind closed doors and decided he was remorseful and should captain again.

For those who lament that Warner’s rehabilitation has rewarded unethical behaviour, the only solace will be that he is not leading the national side. These days, few serve life, whatever the crime.

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