Steve Smith and David Warner will not return to top-level cricket until the current home summer is completed after the Cricket Australia Board unanimously agreed not to alter penalties imposed over the ball-tampering incident.
CA’s Board met yesterday to consider a submission lodged by the Australian Cricketers’ Association on behalf of the banned pair and their teammate Cameron Bancroft, which called for the suspension to be immediately lifted and the three players be allowed to resume their careers.
The ACA cited findings in the recently released Ethics Centre review that drew links between CA’s corporate culture and the ‘win without counting the cost’ mindset of the Australia men’s team as “new evidence” that was sufficient to see the penalties set aside.
However, after a telephone hook-up of CA Board members during which the union’s submission was considered in detail and discussed at length, it was decided that the sanctions that were imposed by the board, and accepted by all three players, last March should stand.
