Greg Chappell wants David Warner's ban to end: He could have captained quite well

Former Australia captain Greg Chappell has advocated ending David Warner's leadership ban, saying the southpaw "would have been captained the side quite well".

Warner was one of the central figures during Australia's infamous Sandpaper Gate in South Africa in March 2018. Steve Smith and Warner were the captain and the vice-captain of Australia respectively when the ball-tampering incident took place in Cape Town. As a result, both were banned from domestic and international cricket for a year.

While Smith was suspended from leadership role only for a year, Warner was slapped with a lifetime ban. In fact, Smith was named the vice-captain of the Australian side ahead of the 2021-22 Ashes.

Recently, Cricket Australia's chief executive Nick Hockley said that while Warner is an outstanding leader on the field, currently there are no plans to overturn the decision.

Now, Chappell has batted for the 35-year-old and called for the ban to be overturned. Chappell said that since Warner was not the only one involved in the Sandpaper Gate, so the New South Wales cricketer should not be treated differently.

"He obviously had a central role in what happened but he was not the only one that was involved and I don't know why he should be treated any differently. He's served his punishment, he is a good leader in the side and no doubt if he had had the opportunity, I'm sure he would have captained the side quite well," Chappell said in an interview with Fox Sports.

"I think he's paid his penalty and it's time to open it up for leadership roles," added Chappell.

Australia's current Test skipper Pat Cummins is among those who have called for the Cricket Australia ban to be withdrawn, saying he "fundamentally" disagreed with the concept of a ban that failed to recognise that people can learn and improve.

Australia recently toured Sri Lanka for a full-fledged series, where they won T20Is but lost the ODI series before drawing the two-match Test series 1-1.

The Aussies surprisingly have a month's rest before their next series, which is at home against Zimbabwe. It is a three-match ODI series, starting from Aug. 18 at Tony Ireland Stadium, Townsville. Following that, the Aussies are set to host New Zealand, West Indies, and England in back-to-back series.