Defiant Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley insists he can keep players onside while refusing to apologise for handing over the botched review of David Warner’s leadership ban.
Hockley has come under fire following Warner’s decision to withdraw his application to have his ban lifted, with questions asked about how CA lost control of the process.
Among the concerns is that CA supported Warner’s plea to have the hearing held in private, only for an independent panel knock back the request.
The situation reached boiling point on Friday when former Test opener Simon Katich claimed Hockley’s job should come under the microscope, pushing forward players’ union boss Todd Greenberg as a potential replacement.
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“I think given the way things have unfolded in the last couple of days and the way CA has outsourced a lot of these tough leadership decisions which come with the roles, I think there’s going to be pressure on Nick Hockley moving forward.” Katich said on SEN Radio.
Nick Hockley. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
Speaking before Katich’s call, Greenberg said players were also frustrated over the situation and that the review on Warner’s ban had lingered into the Test summer.
But Hockley was adamant his relationship with players could survive amid the furore of the last-remaining sanction of the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal.
“I think I have developed a really strong relationship with David over my entire time in the role, and a strong relationship with other players,” he said.
“Ultimately that is for them to describe how they feel about that. But we sought to communicate very regularly, be open, transparent, be fair.
“I am disappointed David has chosen to withdraw. This is not the outcome we wanted.”
Mark Waugh is another former player critical of CA, saying the situation was similar to the handling of both the Tim Paine and Justin Langer sagas.
Candice and David Warner. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
But asked about Katich’s comments around his own role as CA boss, Hockley defended the way in which his organisation had handled the Warner affair.
“People can have their own opinions. The alternative to putting in place a proper process is to just make reactive decisions,” Hockley said. “That is not appropriate around matters of integrity.
“I make no apology for the fact we have engaged with the best people we have got in governance and we run a proper, fair, independent process.”
Hockley was also adamant that Warner would not have been subject to a public lynching as the opener suggested if he went ahead with the hearing.
And he claimed it was right for CA not to set strict parameters around how the hearing would be held when rewriting the code, with the panel wanting transparency given the amount of public interest.
“Because independence and transparency is in line with best practice,” he said.
Hockley said he advised Warner against his social media bombshell on Test match eve, adamant a review of ball-tampering sanctions could go ahead without reopening old wounds.
Warner’s lengthy Instagram post on Wednesday evening set the scene for a dramatic week in Adelaide. The 36-year-old’s concerns centred around the fact he claimed the review would have been a public trial into the events of sandpaper-gate, with CA’s push for the hearing to be behind closed door’s also rejected.
That prompted Greenberg to declare on Friday that Warner had no choice but to withdraw his application to have his ban lifted, fearing a public lynching and more pain for his family and teammates.
But Hockley rejected that suggestion, stating that while his preference for the hearing to be held in private, it would not have damaged Warner or the team’s reputation if it was aired publicly.
The CA CEO argued that Warner would be given the chance to request some parts of the hearing be held behind closed doors, and it would not have been an inquest into Cape Town 2018.
“I disagree. He had a number of options,” Hockley said.
“He could have continued with the process and an application could have been made during the hearing to ask for accredited media not to participate (in parts).
David Warner. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
“He could have just said ‘I am going to withdraw, but I am not going to make a public statement’.
“I did relay that I was concerned I didn’t want him to prejudice any future application with public comments.
“But clearly David has felt the need to say some things.”
Hockley also rejected claims that the situation had dragged on for nine months, despite the players’ union adamant it first approached CA to have Warner’s ban reviewed in February.
The CEO instead said the timing was aimed at having the review complete before Warner returned to the Big Bash with Sydney Thunder in January.
He also defended the fact his organisation could not just make a call on Warner’s leadership ban itself, arguing an independent panel was supported by Sports Integrity Australia guidelines.
“We really wanted to afford him the opportunity to have the heading looked at to be able to explain how he has grown,” Hockley said.
“The process that has been put in place is appropriate.
“It is designed to be fair, transparent. We are disappointed he has chosen to withdraw his application.”
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