Former Australian captain David Warner made headlines on Sunday, August 21, when news emerged that he will be making a return to the Big Bash League (BBL) after an absence of 10 years. The 35-year-old will be playing for the Sydney Thunder in the upcoming edition of the league. While the Sydney Thunder captain from last season, Usman Khawaja, has left the team, Warner still cannot lead the team despite being an obvious choice.

The reason why David Warner cannot captain Sydney Thunder is because of a lifetime captaincy ban handed by Cricket Australia. The punishment was given to him as a result of the Sandpapergate scandal in the 2018 Test match between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town, where Warner, along with Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were found guilty.

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However, David Warner is now open to a conversation with Cricket Australia regarding the uplifting of his lifetime ban from leading a team in Australian cricket. However, he also mentioned that he will speak with the board only if they reach out to him.

“That (prospect of leading a team) hasn’t really been brought to the table,” Warner said.

“As I’ve said plenty of times off the record, it’s upon the board to reach out to me and open their doors. Then I can sit down and have an honest conversation with them,” he added.

According to Warner, Cricket Australia has changed considerably over the years since he was handed the ban in the aftermath of the scandal. He also pointed out that it would be great to have a conversation with the Australian board regarding the ban to find out about the prospect of a potential uplifting.

Warner also believes that he has what it takes to take up the captaincy role once again.

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“I’ve got the experience, I’m a leader in the side anyway without having a title,” he said.

He also revealed that the younger players in the team can always call him up regardless of the time as they have his number.

“They (youngsters) can pick my brains in any way, my phone is always there, they have my number, and they can see me when I’m at the practice facilities,” he concluded.