Disgraced former Australia captain Steve Smith will not appeal against his 12-month ban imposed for his role in the ball-tampering incident in the Cape Town Test against South Africa.
‘I would give anything to have this behind me and be back representing my country,’ Smith said on Twitter. ‘But I meant what I said about taking full responsibility as captain of the team.
‘I won’t be challenging the sanctions. They’ve been imposed by CA to send a strong message and I have accepted them.’
Cameron Bancroft, the junior player who was tasked with rubbing sandpaper on the ball, will also not contest the nine-month ban he received.
David Warner, Smith’s vice-captain, who was also given a 12-month ban has not declared their intentions to appeal.
I would give anything to have this behind me and be back representing my country. But I meant what I said about taking full responsibility as Captain of the team. I won’t be challenging the sanctions. They’ve been imposed by CA to send a strong message and I have accepted them.
— Steve Smith (@stevesmith49) April 4, 2018
Today I lodged the paperwork with Cricket Australia and will be accepting the sanction handed down. I would love to put this behind me and will do whatever it takes to earn back the trust of the Australian public. Thank you to all those who have sent messages of support
— Cameron Bancroft (@cbancroft4) April 4, 2018
Australian Cricketers’ Association president Greg Dyer has labelled the penalties ‘disproportionate’ and called for an independent review already announced into team culture to be significantly broadened.
His assertion was supported by a fact sheet prepared by the ACA which listed previous cases of ball tampering prosecuted by the ICC over past decades, and he noted the most punitive of those was a suspension of two ODI matches and a financial impost of a player’s entire match fee.
When details of Australia’s plot to alter the condition of the ball during last week’s third Test against in South Africa in Cape Town were revealed, ICC match referee Andy Pycroft imposed a one-Test ban on Smith and fined him 100% of his match fee for his involvement.
Bancroft was fined 75% of his match payment, and no charge was laid against Warner with the ICC, saying that responsibility beyond direct involvement in such incidents begins and ends with the team captain.
An investigation by CA’s senior legal counsel and head of integrity Iain Roy in the days following that ruling uncovered further details and inconsistencies in the information provided by Smith and Bancroft at a media conference during the Test.
