MELBOURNE: Cricket Australia ruled on Tuesday that Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft will all have to serve their full bans for ball-tampering.
CA announced its decision after reviewing a submission by the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) to amend the sanctions against the trio.
CA Interim chair Earl Eddings said: “The Cricket Australia board has carefully considered all elements of the ACA submission and has determined that it is not appropriate to make any changes to the sanctions handed down to the three players.”
Smith and Warner, then Australia’s captain and vice-captain, were banned from state and international cricket for 12 months over the ball tampering incident in South Africa in March, while Bancroft was suspended for nine months.
The scandal, which rocked the sport, had far-reaching consequences in Australia with a clean-out of top executives from CA after a scathing review blamed its culture as partly contributing to players bending the rules, AFP reports.
CA statement:
Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were found in breach of Article 2.3.5 of the CA Code of Conduct, namely that their conduct:
(a) was contrary to the spirit of the game;
(b) was unbecoming of a representative or official;
(c) is or could be harmful to the interests of cricket; and/or
(d) did bring the game of cricket into disrepute.
Mr Eddings reinforced the unanimous decision of the Board stating: “Despite the absence of any recommendation regarding the sanctions in the recently released Ethics Centre Review, the Board has deliberated on the ACA’s submission at length. We have reconsidered the sanctions as they apply to each of Steve, David and Cameron in light of the ACA’s submission and the Ethics Centre Review and Recommendations.
“The original decision of the Board to sanction the players was determined after rigorous discussion and consideration. CA maintains that both the length and nature of the sanctions remain an appropriate response in light of the considerable impact on the reputation of Australian cricket, here and abroad.
“Steve, David and Cameron are working hard to demonstrate their commitment to cricket and have our continued support to ensure their pathway to return is as smooth as possible.
“We believe the ongoing conversation about reducing the sanctions puts undue pressure on the three players – all of whom accepted the sanctions earlier this year – and the Australian men’s cricket team. As such, the Cricket Australia Board doesn’t intend to consider further calls for amendments to the sanctions.
“Though we recognise that this decision will be disappointing for the ACA, we thank them for their submission. Our commitment to continue building a strong relationship between CA and the ACA in the interests of cricket in Australia remains and we look forward to meeting with them shortly to that end,” concluded Mr Eddings.
