Cricket Australia won’t back down on Smith, Warner and Bancroft penalties

AUSTRALIA has become a prisoner of its determination not to win at all costs after online opinion helped sink any chance of Steve Smith and David Warner getting an early reprieve.

Australia's David Warner (left) speaks to captain Steve Smith on day 5 of the first Test match between Australia and Pakistan at the Gabba in Brisbane, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY, IMAGES TO BE USED FOR NEWS REPORTING PURPOSES ONLY, NO COMMERCIAL USE WHATSOEVER, NO USE IN BOOKS WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT FROM AAP

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AUSTRALIA has become a prisoner of its determination not to win at all costs after online opinion helped sink any chance of Steve Smith and David Warner getting an early reprieve.

The submission by the Australian Cricketers Association to have the bans lifted was rejected in full by Cricket Australia on Tuesday.

The players’ union was left to contemplate the prospect it was too aggressive in the way it launched such a polarising campaign.

ACA president Greg Dyer had declared that in light of the cultural review, Smith, Warner and Cameron Bancroft should have their bans immediately quashed.

But within 24 hours, one of the union’s strongest advocates, Simon Katich, was among those to disagree with that stance and from there debate raged across the game.

Australia's David Warner (left) and Steve Smith won’t be available until the Shield final in late March. Picture: AAP Image

In reality, the ACA submission was more detailed, but Dyer’s broadbrush call for the players to return to play straight away might have confused the more subtle argument that perhaps allowing them to play some Sheffield Shield cricket would be a fair and reasonable compromise.

The key line of the 145-page cultural review was “winning without counting the costs”, and that sentiment is now a ball and chain which Australia must carry in every step of its cricketing journey.

Had the bans been lifted or even changed, Cricket Australia would have left itself open to this criticism as the men’s team battles on the field through one of its darkest periods.

It’s understood Cricket Australia’s forensic review of the ACA submission even poured through online comments from members of the public on stories written about the proposal — and the results came back 50-50.

'I thought the Australian bans were too much at the start' @MichaelVaughan says he is not against Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft being allowed to play state cricket and in the Big Bash League soon

📻📲 - https://t.co/i0Diz9dGXa pic.twitter.com/Bp7IdHcLIU

— BBC 5 Live Sport on BBC Sounds (@5liveSport) November 19, 2018

The line between arguments for and against allowing players back for the first Test of the summer against India, and the more subtle debate over them being able to play domestic cricket in late February, became blurred and the CA board decided unanimously that the penalties would stand.

Australian captain and ACA executive Aaron Finch expressed his disappointment at the outcome.

“It would have been great to see the guys playing some domestic cricket in the back half of the season, but we’ve got to respect CA’s decision on that,” Finch said.

“It would have been great for Davey and Steve, also with Cam coming back shortly.

“(But we) respect the decision and we’ve got to move on now.”

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Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts phoned Smith, Warner and Bancroft on Tuesday to let them know of the board’s decision before the news was made public.

It’s understood all three want to get on with serving out the remainder of their bans.

Bancroft will be back playing for the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League from January 1, while Smith and Warner’s first opportunity won’t come until the Sheffield Shield final in late March — presuming NSW make it that far.

The ACA submission argued the bans should be reviewed because the cultural review had attributed blame across the organisation for the ball-tampering scandal, rather than the three individuals sanctioned.

Cameron Bancroft has been playing in the WACA first grade during his #sandpapergate ban. Picture: Getty Images

It also asked CA to review James Sutherland’s final interview before departing as CEO, when he said the bans could have been different had the post-match press conference fronted by Smith and Bancroft not occurred.

Cricket Australia was seriously canvassing the idea that Smith, Warner and Bancroft should be given early tickets back to Shield cricket.

But in the end the board determined that might have been another bushfire the game didn’t need so soon after the hammering it copped from the cultural review.

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