David Warner has lambasted Cricket Australia (CA) for putting serious allegations on India A to rest. Warner thinks this is done hastily as the senior Indian team is arriving in the country for the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25.
It all pertains to the unofficial test fixture between India A and Australia A last week in Mackay. Before the start of the final day, umpire Shaun Craig informed the Indian team that the play will resume with a new ball. He said, “When you scratch it, we change the ball.”
In response, wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan on stump microphone was heard saying to Craig that it “is a very stupid decision.” Craig replied to Kishan by warning him of serious action for showing dissent and added that their move came after the visitors allegedly altered the ball.
However, hours after completion of the game, CA clarified on the matter and said that the ball’s condition was “changed due to deterioration.” They also announced that no action will be taken against India for ball-tampering and Kishan will also not be charged for dissent.
However, David Warner was not a fan of CA’s response and wants a proper explanation from them and the match officials regarding the matter. According to him, the matter was “squashed” fast to fine tune things ahead of the Indian team’s arrival for a five-match series against Australia.
“I think the ultimate decision’s with CA, isn’t it? I think they’ve obviously squashed it as fast as they could, given that India’s coming out here this summer,” Warner told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.
“But if the umpires deem that something happened, then I’m sure there’ll be a follow-up and I think the umpires or the match referee should be standing here answering those questions. The match referee should be coming out and addressing his own staff, who are the umpires, and if they’re sticking by the umpire’s decisions, then you’ve got to stand up for that. I think that’s obviously a statement that CA probably need to release,” Warner added.
David Warner announced as Sydney Thunder’s captain for BBL 2024/25
After Cricket Australia overturned the lifetime leadership ban on David Warner, he was named the captain of the Sydney Thunder side on Wednesday. The ban was imposed on Warner in 2018 for being a chief orchestrator of the sandpaper scandal during a test fixture against South Africa.
Warner has captained Thunder in a solitary game back in 2011, where he slammed 102 and helped the side emerge victorious against Melbourne Stars. The veteran batter replaces Chris Green, who captained the side last season, as they finished at the bottom of the points table.
The overseas players like Lockie Ferguson, Sherfane Rutherford and Sam Billings will ply their trade for Thunder in the 2025 season.
