Cricket Australia has confirmed on Tuesday that the bans imposed on Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft would remain as the three-players would serve out their bans after their punishments were reviewed.
Smith, Warner were banned for twelve months while Bancroft was handed a nine-month suspension after the trio were involved in a ball-tampering scandal in a Test series in South Africa earlier this year.
The Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) claimed that these bans of the trio were harsh and rooted for all of them to make comebacks to competitive cricket.
“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,” said Earl Eddings, the interim chairman of Cricket Australia.
Also read: Australia without Smith and Warner is India minus Kohli and Rohit: Sourav Ganguly
He added,”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.
“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.
Australian cricket has been undergoing some tough times since that infamous incident earlier this year as the team failed to cope up with the loss of Warner and Smith.
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