Australian Cricketers’ Association address damning CA report, call for ball-tampering bans to be lifted

AUSTRALIAN Cricketers’ Association bosses have called on Cricket Australia to lift ball-tampering bans on Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft in the wake of yesterday’s damning report, but will CA budge?

Cricket Australia is unlikely to lift bans on Cameron Bancroft, Steve Smith and David Warner. Picture: AFP

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CRICKET Australia is unlikely to reopen its investigation into the ball-tampering scandal despite a call from the players’ union for the bans on Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft to be lifted immediately.

In the wake of the damning Longstaff review, the Australian Cricketers’ Association has vowed to be “relentless” in its pursuit of getting the trio back on the field as soon as possible.

The ACA believes the review provided “independent verification that CA’s system and culture were contributing factors” to the Cape Town incident.

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The players’ body believes the report’s findings represented “significant matters” that were not considered at the time the sanctions were handed down in April.

“Yes, this moment of madness was ‘individual’ but now there is evidence and independent verification of system failure as well,” ACA president Greg Dyer said.

“This is hugely significant. With this new information, common sense, common decency, basic fairness, proportionality and natural justice demand that the punishment is reduced. Let them play.”

The push was instigated by the players’ association, not the banned players, and will begin with a submission to the CA board, which has agreed to a meeting within the next 48 hours.

Both CA chairman David Peever and new chief executive Kevin Roberts have said in recent days the bans would not be lifted.

Cameron Bancroft (from left), Steve Smith and David Warner are serving their bans for ball tampering despite a report finding Cricket Australia should also share the blame.

But the ACA believes it’s within the board’s power to lift the bans and hasn’t ruled out taking the matter further should its new request fall on deaf ears.

“We’re not saying what they did was right, and they’re contrite about that,” ACA chief executive Alistair Nicholson said.

“But we believe the focus should be that the sanctions were handed down without the understanding of the climate and culture that the team were involved in.

“This is now a real factor — that what happened in Newlands was contributed (to) by the culture of the whole organisation.

“What we’re saying is their sentences with new evidence needs to now be recalibrated and reviewed. It’s natural justice which now needs to happen.

“They’ve served their ICC bans, they’ve already been achieved. It’s within the role of the CA board to be able to reopen this and we think it’s critical (they do so) with this new evidence.”

Former Test player George Bailey, who will captain the Prime Minister’s XI against South Africa on Wednesday, said there must be a “better way” to handle the fallout from the scandal and wanted the bans lifted.

“I can’t help but think those three guys could be having a really positive impact on domestic cricket,” he said.

“At the moment they’re playing overseas in different competitions and I think they could be having such a great influence on our game and on our young batters, that I just think there is a better way it could be dealt with.”

Cricket Australia chairman David Peever and chair of the review subcommittee Jacquie Hey address the media after the release of yesterday’s report. Picture: AFP

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Originally published as Australian Cricketers’ Association address damning CA report, call for ball-tampering bans to be lifted