David Warner Has Served His Time, Everyone Makes Mistakes – Shane Watson Wants Cricket Australia To Lift Ban On Warner's Lifetime Captaincy Role

Former Australian Australian all-rounder Shane Watson called for lifting of the ban on David Warner’s lifetime captaincy role.

Warner was the architect behind the infamous ball-tampering scandal during the third Test in Cape Town against South Africa in 2018. Warner along with the then Australia skipper Steve Smith was suspended to play cricket for Australia for a year.

The left-handed batter was also imposed with a lifetime ban from holding any leadership role within Australian cricket for his involvement in the ball-tampering saga. Warner led Australia in nine T20 Internationals and won eight of those matches.

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Will David Warner lead Australia again in the future?

After the lifetime ban on leadership, Warner led Winnipeg Hawks in the Global T20 Canada League in 2018 and was reinstated as Sunsrisers Hyderabad captain ahead of IPL 2021.

Owing to the strained relations between the franchise and the player, Warner was axed from the captaincy role and subsequently released from the team.

David Warner has done his time, everyone makes mistakes: Shane Watson

With concerns about limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch’s dismal batting form in the spotlight, Watson stressed Warner to be allowed to captain Australia once again.

Watson, who is the president of the Australian Cricketers’ Association, said it was ridiculous to continue the ban on Warner as the latter took lessons from his mistakes.

“This is my opinion, and I know it’s a big opinion within Australian cricket in certain parts, he’s served his time,” Watson told the Grade Cricketer.

“He was involved in a big mistake but he’s been severely punished in so many ways. The way they hung him out to dry and everything really came back on him, the financial impact that it had on him, and publicly, he’s been absolutely smashed across the board.

“He’s done his time. Everyone makes mistakes. Some are more public than others, some are worse than others, but you are allowed to forgive.

“I think it’s absurd that he’s not allowed to captain a team, whether it’s a Big Bash team or an Australian team, if he’s the right person at the right time. Think it’s absolutely ridiculous,” he added.

A News Corp report suggested that the situation is likely to be reassessed again with a view to encouraging Warner to captain a BBL team in the latter stages of his career.

Warner is presently with Delhi Capitals in the ongoing IPL 2022 having scored 427 runs in 11 innings, striking at 151.96. He is the fourth-highest run-scorer in the tournament behind Quintom de Kock (502), KL Rahul (537), and Jos Buttler (627).

Also Read: “We have a hunger and desire to help each other,” says Delhi Capitals’ batter David Warner