David Warner captaincy ban: Door opens for appeal as CA amends Code of Conduct policy

David Warner captaincy ban: While Warner has been banned from captaincy in Australia for the last four years, he can now appeal his ban as CA has amended its Code of Conduct policy.

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Australian attacking opener David Warner can get his lifetime leadership ban "modified". On Monday, Cricket Australia (CA) amended its Code of Conduct for players and support personnel. According to the amended policy, "players and support staff can now apply to have long-term sanctions modified." Warner was given a lifetime captaincy ban for his involvement in the infamous 2018 ball-tampering scandal in South Africa, known as the 'Sandpaper gate scandal'.

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"Cricket Australia [CA] has amended its Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel after a review by the CA Head of Integrity [Jacqui Partridge]. The CA Board requested a Code of Conduct review at its October board meeting. The recommendations from this review have been accepted and given formal approval," CA conveyed in a statement.

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"Under the changes, players and support staff can now apply to have long-term sanctions modified. Any applications will be considered by a three-person Review Panel, comprising independent Code of Conduct Commissioners, which must be satisfied that exceptional circumstances exist to justify modifying a sanction," it added.

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Per the new recommendations, any life ban can be reviewed if the said player or support personnel exhibit guilt and pleasing manners. "These circumstances and considerations will include whether the subject of the sanction has demonstrated genuine remorse; the subject's conduct and behaviour since the imposition of the sanction; whether rehabilitation programs have been completed undertaken [if applicable] and the length of time that has passed since the sanction was imposed and whether sufficient time has passed to allow for reform or rehabilitation," the statement further read.

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"The code of conduct states this process: 'Acknowledges that Players and Player Support Personnel are capable of genuine reform or rehabilitation and is intended to provide the Player or Player Support Personnel with an opportunity to resume their previously held positions or responsibilities in specific circumstances.' The hearing of an application is not an appeal or a review of the original sanction imposed," concluded the statement.

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The 35-year-old Warner has been open to a leadership return in Australian cricket, having already captained former champion SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in six matches of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL). If the ban is revoked, Warner will become a strong contender for Australia's Twenty20 International (T20I) leadership. He also envisioned getting a captaincy role in the Big Bash League (BBL) team Sydney Thunder.