Australia skipper Steve Smith (right) and David Warner. (Getty Image)
Steve Smith and David Warner will not be eligible for selection in the Sheffield Shield until the 2018-19 final while Cameron Bancroft is available to be picked by Western Australia in the new year. Cricket Australia has made it clear that the 12-month bans on Smith and Warner will not be softened to make them a part of the Sheffield Shield.
While Smith and Warner were suspended for a year after the ‘Sandpaper Gate’ fiasco in the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town in March, Bancroft was handed a 9-month suspension. All three players accepted the charges and remain unavailable for international and Australian domestic cricket until their bans are served.
CA has called discussions to relax the sanctions as ‘purely speculative’. “At no stage have we, or are we considering lessening the current sanctions in place for respective players in relation to the incident in South Africa,” a CA spokesperson told cricket.com.au.
“The CA Code of Conduct does not allow for reversal or lessening of sanctions once players have fully accepted the charges. The current articles published are purely speculative.”
CA Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland noted the sanctions had been approved by the CA Board and had been arrived upon after careful consideration.
“The events of Cape Town have severely affected the game. It has also been humbling to be reminded of the passion all Australians have for our great game. These are significant penalties for professional cricketers. They were not imposed lightly. We know the players will return to playing the game they love, and in doing so, we hope they rebuild their careers and regain the trust of fans,” Sutherland had said.
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