Sydney Thunder to discuss David Warner's leadership ban with Cricket Australia ahead of upcoming BBL season
Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Sydney Thunder are set to hold talks with Cricket Australia (CA) over David Warner's leadership ban. The explosive opening batter, who was close to signing for the International League T20 (ILT20), signed a lucrative deal with the 2015-16 BBL champions instead after extensive talks.
According to a report from Code Sports, the franchise wishes to view him as a captaincy option when he joins the team after finishing his duties with the national team.
Incidentally, Australia are scheduled to play a three-match Test series against South Africa at home, which coincides with the first half of the BBL 2022-23 season.
Warner was slapped with a leadership ban following his involvement in the ball-tampering saga during the tour of South Africa in 2018. The ban prevents him from holding a captaincy position within the national team, state or BBL club.
Several of Warner's current compatriots and former players have urged Cricket Australia to revisit their decisions surrounding the ban.
The debate has resurfaced as the governing body looks out for a new ODI captain following Aaron Finch's retirement from the format.
The veteran opening batter fits the bill and is an excellent prospect, with only a leadership ban withholding things at the moment. He has remained open to the idea of taking over the ODI captaincy from Finch and is expected to hold talks with CA chief Nick Hockley.
Sydney Thunder unlikely to appoint David Warner as full-time captain
While Warner is not expected to be appointed full-time captain as he is not available for the entirety of the upcoming BBL season, Sydney Thunder want to keep him as an option in case current prospects Chris Green and Jason Sangha are unavailable.
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The franchise are yet to announce their captain after Usman Khawaja's move to the Brisbane Heat in the off-season, where he signed a four-year contract. The veteran left-handed opening batter led the team on two occasions in the previous campaign, while all-rounder Chris Green captained the team for the majority of the season.
Should Cricket Australia overturn the veteran's leadership ban? Let us know what you think.