CA directors to consider tweak to organisation's code of conduct

Cricket Australia's directors will contemplate a rewrite of the organisation's code of conduct, a process that begins at tomorrow's board meeting in Hobart, which could potentially see the eventual lifting of David Warner's lifetime leadership ban.

CA reported a A$5.1 million loss for the 2021-22 financial year at Thursday's AGM. CA largely blamed the loss on challenges presented by the pandemic such as biosecurity costs and reduced crowd capacities, as well as a drop in media rights from the UK for last summer's Ashes.

Former women's quick Clea Smith was also unanimously voted onto the CA board as the sole former player serving as director, after Mel Jones' decision to exit.

Smith represented Australia in one Test match, 48 ODIs and 12 T20Is, has previously held roles at the Australian Cricketers' Association and was influential in the parental leave policy being introduced in 2019.

Former Cricket Victoria chair David Maddocks was also voted in as a replacement for the outgoing Michelle Tredenick.

Warner has had a leadership ban since the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, and the 35-year-old who is closing in on 100 T20 Internationals and 100 Test match appearances, has been mentioned as a candidate for Australia's vacant one-day captaincy but cannot fulfil the role under his sanctions.

Under current rules players who accept a sanction under the code of conduct waive their right to have the matter reviewed.

It means CA's code would need to be rewritten before Warner's ban could be reviewed, and a rewrite is something directors will discuss at Friday's board meeting in Hobart.

"The view within Cricket Australia is that David is doing particularly well on the field and making a great contribution off the field," chairman Lachlan Henderson said.

"The first step in terms of David 's leadership ban is to review the code and see if those sanctions are able to be reviewed, and the appropriate revisions to that code that would need to be made."

Henderson said the code could be rewritten if deemed necessary, with that to happen before a call on the one-day captaincy is made.

"Our intention is to review the code as quick as is practical. It's not in anyone's interest for us to delay that," Henderson said.

"It would be in time for any future leadership conversations in relation to David."

CA is wary any change made to the code in consultation with newly appointed ethics commissioner Simon Longstaff could have implications on matters beyond Warner.

At the same time, CEO Nick Hockley stressed players had a right to show they had changed since the point of being handed a lifetime ban.

"In very simple terms, we are looking at sanctions to be reviewed for good behaviour and growth after a period of time," Hockley said.

"Pending tomorrow's discussion, there would then need to be a revision of the code and that would need to be approved by the board."

Meanwhile CA remain undecided whether to lift a ban on playing Afghanistan in bilateral matches before a three-match ODI series early next year.

Australia refused to host the country while under Taliban rule last summer, but have agreed to face off against them in the T20 World Cup on November 4 as it is an ICC event.