Former Australia captain Michael Clarke believes Cricket Australia have mismanaged the ongoing captaincy controversy and turned David Warner into a scapegoat after the experienced cricketer requested a change on his lifetime captaincy ban.
Clarke took the board’s approach to Warner’s request and their mishandling of the whole situation to task and said they’ve messed up the case where the left-hander only sought the lifting of an “unprecedented” restriction in Australian cricket history.
Imposed with a lifetime captaincy ban for proven involvement in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal during the tour of South Africa, Warner had requested revocation of CA’s stance, stating that the decision has had a mental impact on him and subsequently his family.
But as CA creates hurdles to that aim by asking the player to reportedly undergo a public trial, Warner was forced to give up on his application to remove the captaincy ban. The player said he has been subjected to improper treatment and he isn’t prepared for his family to be the “washing machine for cricket’s dirty laundry”.
In a strong statement issued on his Instagram handle, Warner confirmed the development, later calling CA’s approach to the whole leadership review disappointing and alluding to the trial he was asked to undergo akin to “public lynching”.
Speaking about the whole fiasco on Australia-based ‘Big Sports Breakfast’, Clarke said CA’s handling of the affair has been inconsistent, lacking proper communication, which has led to doubts whether the board ever wanted Warner to be relieved of the captaincy ban even as accomplice Steve Smith is nearing two years into life after his leadership restrictions were over.
“You can tell he’s disappointed and frustrated. I think the other thing that probably hurts a little bit more is the fact Steve Smith is going to captain this Test match,”
said Clarke.
“I can understand Davey’s disappointment. In regards to where Davey is with his age, he’s unfortunately missed out on the captaincy opportunity in my opinion. I don’t think that’s the concern, it’s the fact it’s taken so long to process this or to get to where it’s at.”
“I see it as very inconsistent. I find it very hard to believe it’s okay for one but not okay for the other to have a leadership role. If CA decided all the guys involved in what went down in South Africa, none of them were going to play a leadership role, I think that’s a fair call.”
Clarke stressed if it is “okay” under CA’s eyes for Smith, and Cameron Bancroft, to be relieved of all the restrictions they faced following involvement in the shambolic Cape Town incident, why does the board continue to give Warner a cold shoulder and treat him differently to those two?
“I don’t know if it’s fair to make David Warner the complete scapegoat and say everyone else can go back to normal. We’ll forgive you but we won’t forgive Davey,”
he added.
CA perhaps continues to believe Warner to be the mastermind of the whole sandpaper gate incident, wherein Bancroft was seen rubbing the illegal substance on the cricket ball in the hope of altering its condition quickly and get it to reverse for the three big-name Australian quicks in the third Test of the infamous four-match Test series versus the Proteas.
Smith, who was the captain at the time, with Warner playing his deputy, were found guilty of the charge of ball-tampering alongside the opening batter as the ICC banned the trio for the subsequent Test in Johannesburg, while CA imposed year-long bans on the two giants, apart from captaincy restrictions.
