Legendary Australia skipper Ian Chappell, who is known to speak his mind, has hit out at Cricket Australia (CA) for never protecting the interest of players.

Chappell cited the example of David Warner’s decision to withdraw appeal against lifetime leadership ban over ball-tampering scandal to vindicate his point.

Warner on Wednesday (December 7) said the review Panel wants to hold a public trial before taking a final call and hence he decided to withdraw the application. The veteran opener also added that he is not prepared to let his family be the “washing machine for cricket’s dirty laundry”.

In his column for ESPNCricinfo, Chappell wrote that Warner’s outburst has exposed authorities’ “tendencies for back-side protecting”.

“I couldn’t be happier that David Warner told Cricket Australia the equivalent of “go and get stuffed” when he went public about his decision to withdraw his request for a review of his captaincy ban,” Ian Chappell stated.

“This indicated Warner – who had been advised by CA against a public outburst — didn’t trust the authorities to be mindful of his interests. It was a wise decision by Warner as CA is renowned for only protecting their own interests, not those of players.”

“Young players should be thankful Warner has exposed CA’s tendencies for back-side protecting. They need to keep it in mind for the future.

“Most importantly, though, Warner’s withdrawal of his review highlights how appalling the original decision to award him a lifetime leadership ban was,” he further wrote.

Australian cricket was shaken to the core after cameras had caught Cameron Bancroft using sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball during the Cape Town test in 2018. Subsequently, then captain Steve Smith and his deputy Warner were handed 12-month bans while Bancroft copped a nine-month suspension under Cricket Australia's Code of Conduct.

Moreover, a lifetime leadership ban was also put on Warner by Cricket Australia.

According to Chappell, Warner and Smith should have received the same leadership punishment after the Cape Town incident while also opining that the latter’s “crime was greater”.

“Cheating is indefensible but so also is Smith as Australia captain saying ‘I don’t want to know’ when he walked past Warner and Bancroft, who were deep in discussion in the dressing room before they went ahead with the plan to tamper with the ball,” the 79-year-old wrote.

“As a captain it was Smith’s job to know what his players were up to. If their motive was illegal, he needed to put a quick stop to any shenanigans.

“Smith’s crime was greater than Warner’s. So it was no wonder Warner was incensed by his stiff original punishment while others were treated far more leniently.”

He also lambasted the authorities for the way they handled the matter.

“In the lead-up to the events in South Africa and in the aftermath, CA has erred regularly because self-protection is a high priority for them.

“The lop-sided punishments, the botched integrity review in South Africa, and then the absurd decision to not allow an appeal by the Australian players – their list of failures goes on. No wonder Warner had a gut full, but he chose the right target to attack.”