Warner still in contention for return, says CA chief
Cricket Australia chief Kevin Roberts on Thursday denied explosive revelations that the ball-tampering scandal had isolated David Warner and made it untenable for him to return to the international game.
Both Cameron Bancroft and Steve Smith have given bombshell interviews in recent days as they re-emerge into public life after the incident in SA in March that rattled the sport.
Observers have interpreted their tell-all comments as effectively throwing the divisive Warner under the bus.
“In those comments, he has buried Dave Warner,” former Australian opener Michael Slater said of the Bancroft interview in which he blamed Warner as the instigator of the plot to use sandpaper to rough up the ball.
Bancroft claimed he went along to fit in and because he “didn’t know any better”.
Last week, Smith also opened up about the incident, distancing himself from the plot but admitting he failed as captain by turning a blind eye.
“I had the opportunity to stop it at that point rather than say, ‘I don’t want to know anything about it’,” he said.
Roberts said the timing of the interviews was not ideal, given they have overshadowed the crucial third Test against India, with the series tied 1-1.
But he denied they impacted Warner’s chance of being brought back into the Australian fold.
“Our focus is to work with Dave, who I spoke to three days ago, on his integration plan when he is eligible for selection again,” Roberts told SEN sports radio in Melbourne.
“Our focus is on how we proactively look forward and work with the players, rather than be concerned with what has happened in the past.”
He also questioned whether anything new came out of the interviews, given that an investigation had pointed to Warner as the mastermind and he had admitted responsibility.
Darren Lehmann, the coach who stepped down in the aftermath of the fallout, said Bancroft should have talked to him or other staff if he felt suffocated by the pressure.
“Yeah he could’ve and should’ve come to us,” he told Macquarie Sports Radio. –