David Warner was banned from leadership duties following the 'sandpaper gate' in South Africa. However, Pat Cummins has decided on whether Warner should be reinstated as a leader.
Explosive Australian opener David Warner is one of the most delicate batters in the world across formats. Also, with a decade-long experience, he is a mature leader who made a significant impact as a captain on numerous occasions, including his 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) triumph while leading SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). However, after the infamous 'sandpaper gate' in South Africa, he was banned by Cricket Australia (CA) from leadership duties since he happened to be the mastermind behind the heinous plot. Nevertheless, reigning Australian Test skipper Pat Cummins feels it's about time Warner is brought back to the role.
Cummins said to The Herald Sun, "I do have views. Fundamentally, banning someone for life, I'm afraid I have to disagree. People are allowed to learn and improve and grow. So, yeah, fundamentally, I'm afraid I have to disagree with that concept. He's [Warner] a fantastic leader around our squad here. He'd also be fantastic if he had a formal [captaincy] role. So, if that ever came up, he'd be great."
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Besides Cummins, Greg Shipperd, Sydney Sixers head coach of the Big Bash League (BBL), had also urged the same to CA. "I think David has served his penance. He's back in the Australian team and making a great contribution to the team and cricket in general across the globe. He's a leader without the tag, and I'm sure that's part of bringing him back into the fold. I say to press the go button there," he had told SEN 1170.
Warner has been in a startling form of late. He bounced back following a rough patch in IPL 2021 with SRH, helping Australia win its maiden ICC T20 World Cup title and finishing as the tournament's highest run-scorer. In IPL 2022, playing for his former franchise Delhi Capitals (DC), he was its top scorer, with 432 runs in 12 innings at a graceful average of 48.00 and a strike rate of 150.52, including five half-centuries, along with a maximum score of an unbeaten 92.