Players’ union calls for bans for ball-tampering trio to be lifted
The executive of the Australian Cricketers' Association says Cricket Australia has a "moral obligation" to lift the bans of former Test captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and batsman Cameron Bancroft over the ball-tampering affair.
Their response comes a day after the release of damning reviews of Australia's cricket culture.
"Given the new and damning findings of CA's own independently commissioned Longstaff Review that found CA was also causally responsible for the events in Cape Town, the ACA calls on the CA Board to lift the imposed suspensions on the three players, effective immediately," the association said in a statement.
"The sanctions should be recalibrated to allow this. The ACA does not call for a quashing of the sanctions. Let them play."
Smith and Warner received year-long bans — which run out in March next year — for their part in the events in the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.
Bancroft, who was the one to apply sandpaper to the ball, was given a nine-month suspension. His ban will end in late December.
ACA president Greg Dyer said the association had spoken to the players involved, but emphasised that the call for the lifting on their suspensions was not the players' idea.
"They just want to play cricket again," he said.
The association's chief executive, Alastair Nicholson, said the ACA was not arguing the players had not done something wrong, but rather that the length of their suspensions needed to be reviewed in the light of new evidence.
"It's natural justice that now needs to happen," he said.
The review, released yesterday, described Australia's players as living in a "gilded bubble — disconnected, for much of each year, from families, friends and the grounding influence of community".
The report also found that CA is perceived to be "arrogant and controlling", the consensus being that the organisation does not live up to its values, further accusing CA of not handling situations which go against them well by reverting to "bullying tactics or worse, ostracising".
It states that poor on-field and off-field behaviour was tolerated by CA, including abusive sledging of opponents and disrespect of umpires.
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