Nick Grimm: It was Australia’s shame, the so-called sandpaper gate cheating scandal that rocked international cricket back in 2018. Now, Cricket Australia has lifted a lifetime leadership ban imposed on player David Warner six years ago. ABC sports reporter Simon Smale joined me a short time ago. Simon, it’s an all too familiar tale for most Australians, but can you remind us how the ban came about in the first place? It all started, of course, back in Cape Town in South Africa.

Simon Smale: That’s right, all the way back in 2018, one of the darkest days, depending on who you talk to, in Australian Test cricket history. Cameron Bancroft was seen rubbing sandpaper on the ball to try and rough up one of the sides of the ball to help promote reverse swing, which aids the quick bowlers. It was quickly ascertained that the architect of this scheme to try and influence the ball and impact the ball was led by David Warner. David Warner and Steve Smith were both hit with sanctions, as indeed was Cameron Bancroft, who was deemed to have been sort of led astray by his two senior teammates. Both of them were hit with suspensions, but David Warner was given the longest reaching suspension. His leadership ban was actually indefinite, a lifetime leadership ban holding any position of leadership within Cricket Australia, so that includes the Australian national team, but it also includes the Big Bash, it includes New South Wales. So it was a pretty severe sanction for David Warner, who is or was, until he retired last year, one of Australia’s most senior players in the Test team.

Nick Grimm: So the lifetime ban won’t last a lifetime. What’s it likely to mean for David Warner?

Simon Smale: It’s really interesting, actually, in amongst all the legalese in the statement that was handed down by the panel that found that David Warner had served enough of a lifetime ban after six and a half years, there was a statement in there that essentially it would be rendered meaningless now. The sanction had a material impact on his earning potential over the course of his career, certainly had a detrimental impact on his standing within the game, and now that he’s retired from the Test team and indeed all international cricket, despite a little tongue-in-cheek reference that he was always available with, Australia couldn’t find an opener for this upcoming series against India, he’s not going to be involved in the national team again. Of course, he is still playing franchise cricket and local cricket, so the Big Bash, where he plays with the Sydney Thunder, the panel essentially said that because of his contrition, because of the amount of community work that he has done above and beyond what he was required to do as part of his punishment, he can still provide a really important role model for young players coming through. It means that he can be captain of the Sydney Thunder, essentially, so that’s going to be very, very interesting. From that respect, he has held leadership positions outside of Australia in franchise cricket as a captain. A player of his experience, he’s played over 100 Test matches, he’s played certainly as many limited overs matches as well, so it essentially allows him to be able to become a coach, a mentor in an official capacity within Cricket Australia, again, not necessarily with the national team though.

Nick Grimm: Simon Smale reporting there.