sport news David Warner makes stunning claim that leadership ban from CA wasn't just about ... trends now

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David Warner has bizarrely claimed his lifetime leadership ban from Cricket Australia isn't due to the cheating scandal in South Africa back in 2018.

In what was a dark day for Australian sport, Warner was painted as the chief instigator behind the infamous 'sandpapergate' controversy, which saw Cameron Bancroft caught applying sandpaper to the ball during a spiteful Test match in Cape Town.

Bancroft was later issued a nine-month ban by Cricket Australia (CA), while Warner and then Aussie captain Steve Smith were both suspended for 12 months for bringing the sport into disrepute.

Speaking at the summer of cricket launch for Kayo Sports on Tuesday, Warner, 35, reiterated his desire to be reinstated into a leadership role for Australia.

The dynamic opening batsman pointed to the dispute between players and CA over a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 2017 as to the reason he believes he hasn't been in the mix for leadership opportunities with Australia -  not what unfolded in Cape Town.