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Paine backs Warner to captain Sydney Thunder after lifting of lifetime leadership ban
Lachlan Geleit, SEN • November 1st, 2024 3:13 pm
Sydney Thunder GM Trent Copeland is glad that David Warner can captain the BBL franchise this summer.
Prior to last week, Warner was unable to skipper the side as a lifetime leadership ban hung over his head dating back to the Sandpapergate scandal.
Thankfully for the Thunder, that ban was lifted by Cricket Australia last week and Copeland says that the thought of Warner as a leader of the franchise in BBL|14 this summer.
“It's great that it opens the opportunity, that’s where I come from,” Copeland told SEN 1170 The Run Home.
“Ultimately, this is about Davey. I was there standing there alongside him during the hearing, during the process and really just being supportive as a mate.
“It’s more about him as a person, his legacy in the game and about his cricket career, not one incident six and a half years ago.
“It’s great that we're going to get a full summer of Davey playing in the Big Bash for the first time in his whole career and the fact that he's able to be a leader is certainly being discussed by us.”
Warner’s former Aussie Test captain Tim Paine was also pleased to see the leadership ban lifted as he felt the lifetime sanction was far too harsh.
Paine also thinks that Warner will make a great captain if he’s given the opportunity and would have thrived in a similar role for Australia if it wasn’t for the sanction he was initially slapped with.
“I like it,” Paine told SEN Tassie.
“It's probably five years too late for me. I thought it was harsh at the time and I thought the whole thing was a little bit harsh, particularly on two people.
“I'm rapt for him. I'm glad that he gets to captain the Sydney Thunder.
“He would have been a terrific white ball captain for Australia had that not happened, so I’m thrilled for him.
“It'd be great for the young players at the Thunder and I think the right decision has been made finally.”
Warner’s Sydney Thunder begin their BBL|14 season against the Adelaide Strikers on December 17 at Canberra’s Manuka Oval.
