Banned Australian batsman David Warner to play Caribbean Premier League for St Lucia Stars

Gros Islet, Saint Lucia: Australian batsman David Warner will play for the St Lucia Stars in the Caribbean Premier League as he continues his attempt to rebuild his reputation after the ball-tampering scandal. [caption id=“attachment_4355525” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of David Warner. Image Courtesy: Twitter/@CricketAus[/caption]

The 31-year-old was handed a one-year ban from international and state cricket by Cricket Australia for his role in helping to devise a plan to rub sandpaper on the ball during a Test match against South Africa in March.

Warner has already agreed deals to play in lower-level Australian grade cricket and at a tournament in Canada in July. The CPL announced on Saturday that the swashbuckling opener would replace his compatriot D’Arcy Short in the St Lucia side for their T20 event which runs from August 8 until September 16. “We are excited to bring David to the Saint Lucia Stars,” said Stars general manager Mohammad Khan. “David is arguably one of the greatest batsmen of the modern era and a winning player. He is going to add a lot of value on the field and in the dressing room as we pursue our first CPL title.” Warner struck 109 against South Africa in a one-day international in Saint Kitts the last time he played in the Caribbean two years ago.