'I'm not a criminal; should get the right of an appeal' - Warner on possible captaincy ban overturn

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Image credit: Getty

Explosive Australian opener David Warner's captaincy duties and chances were relinquished in 2018 following his involvement in the infamous Cape Town Test's 'Sandpapergate scandal', where he was accused of being the mastermind behind the plot alongside then-skipper Steven Smith and Cameron Bancroft. After being found guilty, he has handed a lifetime ban regarding his leadership role in Australia. However, now that Australia is in a dire hunt for a proper captain, especially for its Twenty20 International (T20I) side, Cricket Australia (CA) has been forced to amend its Code of Conduct policies, opening the door for his possible return to the role.

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Meanwhile, Warner voiced his frustration by speaking to Kayo Sports on Monday, expressing, "I'm not a criminal. You should get a right of appeal at some stage. I understand they have a ban in place, but banning someone for life is a bit harsh. Where it's been not very reassuring, it's taken this long to get to where it has. It was brought up in, I think, February this year. So, it's been drawn out. It's traumatic for my family, me, and everyone involved. We haven't needed to go back into that detail. We don't need to relive what happened."

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"It's frustrating because we could have done this about nine months ago when it was first brought up. Unfortunately, Finchy [Aaron Finch] retired, and then they fast-tracked it in their way. But, it's a tad disappointing that when you decided in 2018, it's in four days, and then this takes nine months," added Warner.

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"So, that's the hardest thing. It makes me look like I'm campaigning, which I'm not. So, from my perspective, that's where it's been not very pleasant. But, it's good to get in a position where we are now today. And it allows me to ring up the integrity unit to talk to them [CA] and put forward my case of the 100 hours [of community service] that I did in 2018 for what happened. I have to put forward all this good behaviour stuff that I've done, so I'm happy to do that," Warner concluded.