MOVING ON

Test door ajar as Warner cops penalty

DAVID Warner has renewed hope of playing for Australia again after the deposed vicecaptain swallowed his punishment and, in doing so, allowed the game to breathe a sigh of relief.

There were fears Warner could tip the bucket on highprofile figures in the game and drag some unwanted skeletons out of the closet if he went to a hearing to challenge the terms of his 12-month suspension and life ban from captaincy.

However, an hour and a half before Cricket Australia’s deadline, Warner told head office that he, like Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft, had made the strong decision to cop his sanctions on the chin.

After being fingered as the mastermind, Warner always had the most to gain, but perhaps also the most to lose, by engaging lawyers and going to a hearing.

Warner could have dropped a bomb on CA’s entire operation if he were able to provide context to mitigate his role in ball tampering and implicate others higher up the chain.

But he would have almost certainly sealed his own fate in the process, amid predictions by some in the game that he was already on the path to never returning to the baggy green.

Retirement talk from Warner’s initial press conference last Saturday seems to have cooled, and with weapons laid down, the powerhouse opener and Cricket Australia are talking about the road back.

Ostracised by sections of the team in the wake of the sandpaper scandal, Warner, 31, has pledged his dedication to coming back a better teammate.

“I have today let Cricket Australia know that I fully accept the sanctions imposed on me,” Warner said in a statement. “I am truly sorry for my actions and will now do everything I can to be a better person, teammate and role model.”

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland expressed confidence that despite the wounds and broken relationships, the three would play international cricket again. “The events of Cape Town have severely affected the game,” he said.

“It has also been humbling to be reminded of the passion all Australians have for our great game. These are significant penalties for professional cricketers. They were not imposed lightly.

“We know the players will return to playing the game they love, and in doing so we hope they rebuild their careers and regain the trust of fans.”

It’s believed both Warner and Smith were considering the scope they had to challenge the leadership aspects of their bans, but ultimately decided against it.

Smith will have to wait two years until he’s considered again for a leadership position, while Warner will never get the chance to impart his skipper skills in any capacity in Australia again, despite moves that were going on behind the scenes until recently for him to captain the Twenty20 side to the next World Cup.

Right up until the deadline Warner was considering his legal options.

But he and his family have endured a harrowing time over the past two weeks, and Warner’s wife Candice is still struggling with the devastating fallout.

By copping his penalties, Warner has given himself and Cricket Australia a chance to move on.