David Warner is all set to make his return to the Big Bash League as the new captain of Sydney Thunder following the withdrawal of the sanction imposed on him by Cricket Australia (CA).
Warner's lifetime leadership ban was lifted a fortnight ago after a successful review conducted by Cricket Australia.
Notably, Warner had lodged an appeal to have his sanction overturned last month. He was originally banned by Cricket Australia from captaining any side for a lifetime based on an enquiry conducted by them over his involvement in the sandpapergate scandal in 2018.
Having retired from all forms of international cricket, Warner will now be fully available for Sydney Thunder for the 14th edition of the BBL unlike his occasional appearances for the side in the previous seasons.
Warner will take the reins from spin-bowling allrounder Chris Green and returns at the helm after a gap of 14 years. Interestingly, he was also their first-ever captain in the lucrative T20 league.
"Captaining the Thunder again this season means a lot to me," Warner said in a statement as reported by Cricket.com.au.
"I was part of the team from the start, and now to be back with that ‘C’ next to my name feels fantastic.
"I’m looking forward to leading from the front and sharing my experience with the young talent coming through."
Warner, as expected, is fairly excited and wants to use the opportunity to work with some of the youngsters in the team like Sam Konstas and Tanveer Sangha among others and mentor them.
"One of the most exciting parts of this role is the chance to give back to the younger players, to pass on some of the knowledge I’ve gathered over the years," Warner said.
"We have an incredible group of young players like Ollie Davies, Jason Sangha, and Sam Konstas.
"They’re fearless and have so much potential. My goal is to guide them, help them learn the game, and ultimately give them the tools to thrive both in the BBL and beyond."
Sydney Thunder squad: David Warner (c), Wes Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Billings, Oliver Davies, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Gilkes, Chris Green, Liam Hatcher, Sam Konstas, Nic Maddinson, Nathan McAndrew, Sherfane Rutherford, William Salzmann, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha
