David Warner’s manager James Erskine has lashed out at Cricket Australia for the decision to ban the cricket star from a leadership role for life after his involvement in the sandpaper scandal in 2018.
Warner has this week withdrawn an appeal against the decision following a change in CA’s policies.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Warner said he would not be appealing the decision as he believed a public hearing would impact his family’s well-being.
“They want to conduct a public spectacle to, in the panel’s words, have a “cleansing”. I am not prepared for my family to be the washing machine for cricket’s dirty laundry,” Warner said.
Speaking to SEN radio, Erskine defended Warner’s actions and talked about the issues his family faced since Sandpapergate.
“I think he’s fed up with the process, the trauma (from) that the original decision in South Africa, to his family and Candice (Warner’s wife), she lost a baby because of it,” Erskine said
Candice Warner and David Warner. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
“I think it’s odd, I don’t quite understand the process myself… of course, they (Cricket Australia) want this open court on the appeal.
“When you get banned for life with no appeal, I don’t think that can be legal, you can murder 25 people and get an appeal, and go have a second trial.
“The Prime Minister came out (at the time), (Malcolm) Turnbull came out and said this is a disgrace and whatever, I think he regrets those comments now, Cricket Australia had the whole process, the (Iain) Roy report was done in four days.
“You’d have to be a blind black Labrador, there was far more than three people involved in this thing, they all got a canning and David Warner was completely villainized.
“He has shut up, he protected Cricket Australia, he protected his fellow players on my advice, because at the end of the day no one wanted to hear any more of it and he’s got on playing cricket.
“Why Cricket Australia couldn’t have done a very sensible thing and said listen, it’s not legal that someone doesn’t have a right of appeal.
“It’s just absurd, why should he have to go through that, he has done everything he possibly could for Cricket Australia and for his team, and now he’s being treated like this… this is injustice at its greatest level.”
Candice goes into bat for husband
The Warner PR machine was in full force on Thursday as Candice also hit the airwaves – on Triple M.
“We’ve lived with this pain, through this pain since 2018,” she said. “And it gets to a point where enough is enough.
“Dave’s statement was very powerful and it had to be.
“There’s more important things than cricket and (David) is fiercely protective of his family and he just couldn’t … there are more important things than cricket and that’s the bottom line.
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“We have been through hell.
“To put our family, also his teammates through everything again and the disappointing thing for David is this has been dragged out for so long.
“Everything first kicked off in February and it’s now December and still no decision.”
Candice Warner added that it had been “incredibly intense” for the family since 2018.
“We live it day to day, that pain doesn’t go away,” Candice Warner said.
David Warner. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
“It is still raw, we go to the cricket so often to watch David play and there is always people yelling things out in the crowd, or at my daughters who proudly wear their dad’s T-shirt with their father’s name on the back.
“The fact my daughters have to cop abuse because of incidents that happened in the past is not fair.
“My husband David, he always puts family first, he’s fiercely protective of myself and our three girls.
“Cricket is not everything, cricket is what he does, but cricket does not define him and the person he is, the fact there was a lack of player welfare and no welfare about David and our family speaks volumes.”
Clarke: unfair for Warner to be scapegoat
“I don’t know if it’s fair to make David Warner the complete scapegoat and say right, everyone else can go back to normal,” Clarke said on Sky Sports Radio.
“We’ll forgive you but we won’t forgive Davey. I’m still unsure if any of them should be involved in a leadership role.
“I think it’s a tough one for Davey to swallow, rules in place for him and not for the others.”
Clarke said he still believed the punishments handed down out of the ball-tampering saga were unfair against Warner, who was not captain at the time.
“I see it as very inconsistent,” Clarke said.
“I find it very hard to believe it’s okay for one but not okay for the other to have a leadership role.
“If Cricket Australia decided that all the guys involved in South Africa, none would play a leadership role, that’s a fair call.
“But if it’s okay for Smithy, then it has to be okay for Bancroft and Warner.
“This is the last thing cricket needed.”
Healy says opener ‘has saved cricket’ from embarrassment
He also received strong support from former Test wicketkeeper Ian Healy, who said on SEN Radio on Thursday morning that “he has saved cricket here”.
Healy said there was no reason for Warner’s appeal hearing to be done in a public forum.
“He has saved cricket here,” he said. “That panel were going to air cricket’s problems. Why would they do that? Every other aspect of their negotiations, with the Australian Cricketers Association for example, are endeavouring to stay behind closed doors.
“Get the job done, no matter what it takes, behind closed doors.
“I agree with David Warner that it doesn’t need to be in public.
“The independent panel have decided the whole trial needs to be public. It seemed to be a trial of Warner’s crime again. The smallish crime of attempting to scratch a cricket ball, (but) it was supposed to be about the punishment, and they wanted to go through everything again, in public. Come on.”
Joey
Guest
Is was clear Warner was the ringleader in sandpaper-gate. He has always been an embarrassment to the baggy green and if it were up to me, he wouldn't even be in the team. He is a national disgrace and his manager is an absolute clown.
Censored Often
Roar Rookie
This is like a lower rent version of the Kardashians…
Ace
Roar Rookie
Why carry on with this. You lot are like petulant children. Just talk cricket. If not just go round and visit each other and have a 'chat'
sheek
Roar Guru
Diamond Jackie, As I saw in a newspaper headline the other day, the full story of all those involved has never been revealed. That is, all those who knew what was going on. And we might have to wait a long time before it is…
sheek
Roar Guru
Ross Wright, Nor should we forget that the underarm incident was legal at the time, & as remains the ‘Mankad’ style of runout. I am 100% in support of batsman backing up out of their crease being fair game for dismissal. You take the risk, you bear the consequence. Some background to the underarm. In a huge WSC ODI, Windies fast bowler Wayne Daniel hit the 2nd last ball of an over for 6 to give his team an unexpected last gasp win against the Aussies. This occurred just two seasons before the underarm incident & would have been fresh in Greg Chappell’s mind when he instructed his brother Trevor to bowl a mully-grubber. Chappell wasn’t going to leave to chance a second time that McKechnie might fluke another six like Daniel did. It may not have been spiritually right, but it was legal at the time. Sandpapering a cricket ball, or doctoring it in any way, has NEVER been legal.
Ross Wright
Roar Rookie
Let’s not forget the 1981 ‘underarm incident’ that bought shame to Australian cricket. Started well before Clarke.
Ross Wright
Roar Rookie
Further to my previous comment - I decided to take a quick look for myself. The U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM) published a study titled ‘The association between psychological stress and miscarriage: A systematic review and meta-analysis’. The authors support the view that stress can increase the base probability of a miscarriage. However, they caution against attributing miscarriage to stress alone given other known psychological and environmental Influences including “the effects of substances like alcohol, tobacco and caffeine which are taken to relieve stress”.
Ross
Guest
To Grand & Dusty. Given the mountains of scientific research undertaken in the medical & health field I’d be amazed if this stress-miscarriage hypothesis hasn’t been tested in some depth. As such, there is any easy way to address this. Cite the research you’re both relying on and let people make up their own minds. .
Mr Cricket
Roar Rookie
I wonder what Warner is playing at. CA's dirty laundry to be aired soon, perhaps in the form of a book.
Cam
Roar Rookie
Sorry typo, 25 innings.
Nik
Roar Rookie
Oooh, bit harsh on the Sussexxesss (however it's spelt)
Bazmace
Roar Rookie
Probably should just worry about his current form and trying to make some runs overseas.
Noel
Roar Rookie
I dunno. Send him to England, let Broad and Anderson eviscerate him again - gives CA a very solid basis to drop him that couldn't possibly be misconstrued as political...
sheek
Roar Guru
Rowdy, The Peter Principle is everywhere, getting promoted until you reach your level of failure!
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
You are on today. If you want to see ineptitude on a grand scale have a look at the people occupying executive positions in schools. Like Principals, Deputies and Head Teachers. Half are useless, quarter are bereft of an idea. 25% of teachers are good.
sheek
Roar Guru
Rowdy, Your observations on Ponting & Clarke are astute. But I still rate Punter. He had one important leadership gift that is often undr-appreciated, & that is consensus. Punter didn't tell Warne & McGrath how to bowl. He would ask them what they wanted. He didn't tell Hayden & Langer how to build their opening partnership, they were master craftsmen. Too many leaders, & Clarke may have been guilty of this, are micro-managers, always in the face of their staff or team. Punter was an excellent delegator. He knew his guys knew their business & let them go about it. Punter was the right man to have at the head of a strong team. On the flip side, had he been in Border's situation when AB first became captain, Punter would have been overwhelmed & sunk beneath the waves. Both of them, & even Clarke, could all be good captains in the right circumstances, with the right mix of players around them. As for Smith, his abdication of leadership is the worst crime in my view. It's non-sensical Smith can now captain Australia again, on a part-time basis, while Warner continues to be officially excluded. Many years ago I bought a book on WW2 Australian prisoner of war to the Japanese. Incarceration conditions were harsh under a brutal & vicious adversary. The author was amazed to find during his research, how commanders known for their bravery & inspiration on the battlefield were often inept & useless under prisoner of war situations. They couldn't cope. Yet on the other hand, other commanders with a reputation of not being any better than bookworm desk jockeys, proved to be outstanding leaders in the difficult environment of imprisonment. This is the trick to life, finding your place in the world, & accepting it. Not what you think you are, but what you really are. The world is screwed up because too many people, especially those making the decisions, have an over-inflated opinion of their own effectiveness.
Clear as mud
Guest
one incident in almost 5 years. like that time you farted - once - in a lift
Clear as mud
Guest
even more better, "the lifetime ban was justified at the time. David's exemplary conduct since the ha convinced us to now rescind that ban...."
Clear as mud
Guest
it's about the stigma of still having a ban over his head
Clear as mud
Guest
Agree