‘Unwilling to subject my family to further trauma’: David Warner slams review panel for captaincy ban

Australian opener David Warner came down hard on the legal adviser, who assisted the independent commission in reviewing his lifetime captaincy, saying the comments made by them were offensive and unhelpful.

Warner has issued an explosive five-page statement to the review panel titled “My family is more important to me than cricket.” He has clearly stated that the review panel acted contrary to Cricket Australia’s findings and wanted to keep a public spectacle from him at the expense of his family.

Warner announced his decision to withdraw his application to challenge the lifetime captaincy ban, writing on Instagram: “Over the course of the nearly five years since the events of the Third Test in Cape Town, despite all the humiliations and assaults they have endured, I have enjoyed the unwavering support and love of my wife Candice and my three daughters , Ivy Mae, Indi Rae and Isla Rose. They are my world.

“Since that test and while my ban on leadership roles may never be lifted, I have taken it upon myself to reshape, rehabilitate and transform my approach to the game.

“I have served a crushing, unprecedented sentence that has had a terrible impact on me and my family for the past five years – so far with no prospect of any relief.

“I was hopeful and encouraged that I would be given the proper opportunity to show the review panel that I have expressed my deep regret and remorse, and that my rehabilitation and transformation are profound.

“I hoped that I would be given the opportunity, following the established practice and procedure of the Code of Conduct reflected in the amendments, to demonstrate that I have met the necessary requirements for a change to my ban and that I would be allowed to see the balance of my career without the yoke hanging around my neck and more suffering for my family.

Warner also stated that he does not want his family to become the “washing machine for cricket’s dirty laundry”. He does not want his family and teammates to experience all the trauma again and has therefore decided to withdraw.

“Despite my opposition and that of Cricket Australia, the counsel assisting the review panel and the review panel took it upon themselves last Tuesday to fabricate an irregular procedure (reversing assumptions and previous practice) for the determination of my application and adopt a new approach that would adversely affect the health and well-being of my family and the interests of the Australian cricket team.

“In its submissions, Counsel Assisting made offensive and unhelpful comments about me that had absolutely no substantive purpose under the Code of Conduct. Unfortunately, the Review Panel acted contrary to the claims made by Cricket Australia and my lawyer and seemed to take the position of Counsel Assisting almost entirely.

“In fact, Counsel Assisting, and, it seems, to some extent the Review Panel, want to have a public trial against me and what happened at the Third Test at Newlands. They want to have a public spectacle to, in the words of the panel, have a ‘cleaning up’. I’m not prepared for my family to be the washing machine for cricket’s dirty laundry.

“Counsel Assisting and the review panel seemed determined to revisit the events of March 2018 and the review panel seems determined to expose me and my family to further humiliation and damage through a media frenzy.

“It appears the panel has given no more than passing thought to player welfare and the interests of Australian cricket and is instead determined to carry out a public lynching.”

“Unfortunately, at the moment I have no practical alternative but to withdraw my application. I am not willing to subject my family or my teammates to further trauma and disruption by accepting a deviation from the way my application should be handled under the Code of Conduct.

“Some things are more important than cricket,” added the southpaw.

Currently, Warner is playing the two match test series against West Indies. While Australia won the first game big, the left-handed batter scored 5 runs in the first innings and 48 in the second.