Australia skipper Steve Smith (right) and David Warner. (Getty Image)
BBL head Kim McConnie has ruled out any prospect of banned stars Steve Smith and David Warner being allowed to play in the next edition of the league. Shane Watson had called the 12-month ban as extreme, but McConnie has confirmed that the duo won’t make an appearance in the country’s premier T20 league.
"Both players have done a really good job and accepted the ruling from Cricket Australia, and they won't be appearing in the BBL this season," McConnie was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
"I think every player who plays cricket, we love to think that they talk about the Big Bash and promote the tournament. But beyond being cricket players themselves that have a love of the format, there'll be no formal relationship."
Steve Smith and David Warner will also 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.
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