David Warner has called for a “follow-up” to umpire Shawn Craig’s ball-tampering comments to India A players in the match with Australia A, suggesting Cricket Australia quashed the incident to avoid controversy ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

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On day four of the red ball contest at Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena, which Australia A won by seven wickets, India’s players argued with the umpires because the match ball had been changed overnight. Craig was overheard on the stump mics telling the touring players: “You scratch it, we change the ball … it is because of your actions we changed the ball.”

Later that afternoon, CA released a statement confirming the match ball had been changed due to deterioration, muzzling any ball-tampering allegations.

However, speaking to reporters in Sydney on Wednesday morning, Warner declared that he expected a full explanation of the incident to eventually come out.

“I wasn’t across the whole thing,” said Warner, who was announced as the new Sydney Thunder captain in the Big Bash League.

“I did see the replay of the umpire giving his stern words, which has been happening the last couple of years here in Australia. A lot of cricket players have been giving dissent to the umpires, which I think they’ve taken a pretty good approach to that.

“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. 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 umpires’ decisions, then I think you’ve got to stand up for that.

“That’s obviously a statement that CA probably need to release.”

Warner has been named captain of the Thunder after the lifetime ban he received from CA for his involvement in the 2018 sandpaper scandal was unanimously lifted by an independent panel, deeming him eligible for future leadership roles.

Last month, the 38-year-old challenged the ban and appeared before an independent three-member panel, which agreed that the sanction placed on him six years ago had “achieved its purpose”. He attempted to present his case two years ago, but withdrew from the appeal process in November 2022 because the review panel wanted “to conduct a public spectacle”.

Warner, one of the sport’s successful T20 cricketers, will replace all-rounder Chris Green as the Thunder’s captain for the 2024/25 campaign, which gets underway next month.

“I’m thoroughly excited,” Warner continued.

“We put that submission in (to overturn the leadership ban) two years ago, and it just wasn’t going the right way, and I had to focus on cricket. The team was the priority, and that’s what it’s always been about for me, the team.

“We didn’t need the media chat around it, it could have easily been done prior to the (2022/23 Test) series starting, that’s why I withdrew it and I wanted to revisit that now. It’s all done and dusted.

“I’m not playing for Australian cricket team anymore, and we don’t have to put that the team in spotlight.”