Lift Warner ban or risk losing him, says Paine
TIM Paine believes Australian cricket needs to remove David Warner’s leadership ban or risk losing his services to the T20 leagues.
Paine – who has returned to state cricket with Tasmania and released a book, The Price Paid, which will be published this week – added to the cry from selector George Bailey for Cricket Australia to lift Warner’s ban as soon as possible.
“He’s absolutely been treated too harshly over the incident in South Africa,” the former Test captain said.
“For some reason he is still being punished for it and I don’t understand that. Dave said a few weeks ago that he thinks it is a culmination of him being the voice a few years ago of the MOU dispute, I don’t know. I think they have a chance to do a good thing and overturn it now but they’re saying they’d have to rewrite some part of the constitution, so do it.”
Sydney Thunder is keen to have Warner captain when he is available in the next BBL, while Pat Cummins was appointed to captain the ODI team as CA considers the ban.
“I can see why they appointed Patty and it’s a good move,” Paine said. “He’s been fantastic in the Test job and this is only a limited campaign.”
It is expected that Steve Smith, Warner and possibly Alex Carey would step up if Cummins rests from matches.
“David is probably the best candidate and if you watch him bat at the start of this summer he looks like vintage David Warner, he’s fit as a fiddle, he’s got plenty of cricket left in him. It makes sense to incentivise him, otherwise we could lose him.
“For some reason he is unfairly maligned, but if you play cricket with that bloke he is on your team, he’s trying to do everything he can to win for the team.”