The Ball tempering issue got too heavy on Cricket Australia’s image. Everybody was expecting something very harsh from CA. But I suppose this news just blows everyone’s expectation. No one was ready for that much harsh decision from Cricket Australia Board.
We have charted the punishments of the Aussie trios for you guys.
| Steven Smith | David Warner | Cameron Bancroft |
| Banned for 12 months | Banned for 12 months | Banned for 9 months |
| 100 Hours voluntary service in community cricket | 100 Hours voluntary service in community cricket | 100 Hours voluntary service in community cricket |
| Will never consider for leadership | Will not consider for leadership for another 12 months after completing the ban | Will not consider for leadership for another 12 months after completing the ban |
Being a benevolent person of cricket, are you happy with it? I can’t tell anything about you guys. But that makes me wonder, while the previous hardest penalty for ball tempering was so minimal. In the numerous occasions, indictees got away with it by amercement or few matches suspension. In several cases, they got both types of punishment altogether.
Maybe this punishment was very much needed to set an oxidizable example for rest of the world.
The trios in question have all been charged with a breach of Article 2.3.5 of the CA Code of Conduct, namely that their conduct was contrary to the spirit of the game and brought cricket into disrepute.
CA says that Steve Smith had “knowledge of the potential plan” and failed to “take steps to seek to prevent the development and implementation”.
In the CA report, there was a mention about Warner, that he led the initiative and instructed a junior player “to carry out a plan to take steps to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball using sandpaper (thought a tape previously)” and “failure to voluntarily report his knowledge of the plan after the match”.
The penalty for Bancroft was for “carrying out instructions to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball” and “seeking to conceal evidence”.
After that official announcement, Cricket Australia chairman, David Peever, said: “As I indicated yesterday, the CA Board understands and shares the anger of fans and the broader Australian community about these events”.
Then he added “These are significant penalties for professional players and the Board does not impose them lightly. It is hoped that following a period of suspension, the players will be able to return to playing the game they love and eventually rebuild their careers.”
James Sutherland the CEO of Cricket Australia said in his part, “The sanctions we have announced are significant for the individuals involved. That is why the process has had to be thorough to ensure that all relevant issues have been examined.”
“I am satisfied that the sanctions in this case properly reflect a balance between the need to protect the integrity and reputation of the game and the need to maintain the possibility of redemption for the individuals involved, all of whom have learned difficult lessons through these events.”
But CA insured that Darren Lehman will remain in his position of head coach.