Cricket Australia can IGNORE independent panel and overturn David Warner’s lifetime leadership ban

Cricket Australia (CA) has the power to lift David Warner’s leadership ban, despite claims the body must follow guidelines set out by Sports Integrity Australia.

On Friday, CA CEO Nick Hockley said Warner’s leadership ban could only be overturned through a hearing before an independent commission.

Hockley argued that CA had to comply with “mandatory Sports Integrity Australia standards” and had no power to unilaterally lift the ban, which was imposed in the aftermath of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.

David Warner’s lawyer believes Cricket Australia may unilaterally lift his leadership ban

But according to The Age and the Sydney Morning HeraldSports Integrity Australia, in fact, has no power to prevent CA from reversing the ban.

Warner’s attorney, Adam Lunn, took a similar tone, noting that CA’s ability to reverse the ban had been “lost in all this mess.”

He told the Sydney Morning Herald: ‘The CA board now has the power to review and ‘lift’ its own ban.

‘It was a ban from the CA board and CA is the governing body. Why CA doesn’t do that only compounds the chaotic approach taken by the panel.’

Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said the body could not overturn the ban without the approval of an independent panel.

In 2018, Warner out of any leadership role for his involvement in the Sandpapergate affair.

During the third Test match of the series against South Africa in Cape Town, Warner and former Australia captain Steve Smith ordered batsman Cameron Bancroft to handle the ball with a piece of sandpaper.

Bancroft was caught on camera scratching the ball and was subsequently banned from cricket for nine months, while Warner and Smith were banned from the game for 12 months.

Smith was banned from holding the captaincy of any team for two years, while Warner received a lifetime ban from leadership roles.

The veteran starter has been handed a lifetime ban from captaining Australia in any format of the game for his role in the Sandpaper-gate scandal against South Africa four years ago.

Warner and Steve Smith were found to have been the instigators of the ball-tampering saga in the third Test of the series at Newlands in March 2018.

CA imposed the ban directly and subsequently argued that it could not be lifted without changing its policy.

The agency did exactly that last month, passing an amendment to its code of conduct, which was expected to allow Warner to request a review of the sanction.

But last week the independent panel of code of conduct commissioners told both sides they would stand firm on the matter.

Warner subsequently withdrew his appeal against his lifetime captaincy ban, with an explosive statement accusing the Review Panel of seeking a “public lynching”.

In an explosive interview on Thursday, Warner manager James Erskine claimed the ball-tampering scheme was common knowledge long before 2018.

The saga took a new turn a day later when Warner’s agent, James Erskine, accused cricket officials of giving players permission to handle the ball after Australia lost the second Test of their series against South Africa in Hobart. in November 2016.

Hockley, however, firmly dismissed the claims, calling them futile and unfounded, and said he was disappointed by Warner’s decision to withdraw his appeal.

“The purpose of the hearing was to talk about remediation and remorse and what David had learned thus far and certainly, in my experience, he has had an exemplary record ever since,” he said. SEN Radio Friday morning.

“And I think we worked hard to give David the opportunity to present how he has grown and how he wants to contribute.

“I am disappointed that at this time he has not taken advantage of that opportunity.”