David Warner on Wednesday announced he was withdrawing his application for a review of his lifetime leadership ban. As a result of wanting to avoid a public hearing on the events surrounding the Newlands ball-tampering scandal in 2018, the opener’s hopes of captaining the national team or any side in Australian domestic cricket has now come to an end.
Cricket Australia recently changed its code of conduct that permitted Warner to contest the lifelong captaincy ban that had been imposed on him.
“Despite my opposition and that of Cricket Australia, on Tuesday last week Counsel Assisting the Review Panel and the Review Panel took it upon themselves to concoct an irregular procedure (overturning presumptions and previous practice) for the determination of my application and establish a novel approach that would negatively impact the health and welfare of my family and the interests of the Australian cricket team,” Warner said in a statement on social media.
“Regrettably, I have no practical alternative at this point in time but to withdraw my application.
“I am not prepared to subject my family or my teammates to further trauma and disruption by accepting a departure from the way in which my application should be dealt with pursuant to the Code of Conduct.”
He concluded by saying, “Some things are more important than cricket.”
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