CA Chairman adamant about maintaining bans on David Warner and Steve Smith

bans on David Warner and Steve Smith: Cricket Australia have spoke against reducing Warner and Smith’s respective bans.

A major development which has come out from the Ethics Centre’s independent review regarding the infamous Cape Town Ball Tampering Incident and the general conduct for cricket in the country was the continuation of bans on star duo of David Warner and Steven Smith.

David Peever, Cricket Australia’s Chairman, was determined about maintaining the bans placed on Warner and Smith. Earlier, there were reports of reduction in the respective bans on the duo (one year) and Cameron Bancroft (nine months).

In which was to be done to prepare the cricketers for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 and the Ashes series by letting them play in Australia’s domestic season and the Big Bash League, it seems unlikely now.

Peever added that he accepts ‘responsibility’ in regard to all that has happened. Speaking to the media, he was quoted, “As chairman of the board of CA I accept responsibility for what happened in South Africa, but I’m also very confident that we’re positioned to move forward from here. We’ve learned many lessons and of course there has been a lot going on since then. Both within the playing group and within the organisation itself to move things forward.”

The decision has been taken on the basis of a survey which was to be taken by current and former Australian players. Out of the 48 current and nine former players, only 14 and three submitted their surveys respectively. The result of the survey lays down a major point regarding most of the Australian players feeling that the ban on Warner and Smith has been rightly put up.

The cultural review also suggested as Cricket Australia being ‘arrogant’ and ‘controlling’ along with lashing out on the commercial facet of the game taking a toll on everything else.

“With the exception of CA’s own Board and its senior executives, the broad consensus among stakeholders is that CA does not consistently ‘live’ its values and principles,” the review states. “CA is perceived to say one thing and do another. The most common description of CA is as ‘arrogant’ and ‘controlling’. The core complaint is that the organisation does not respect anyone other than its own.

“Players feel they are treated as commodities. There is a feeling amongst some State and Territory Associations that they are patronised while sponsors believe their value is defined solely in transactional terms. The group most critical of CA is the Australian Cricketers Association. The ACA’s negative assessment of CA is extreme, matched only by the positive assessment offered by the CA Board.”

Other than the update on Warner and Smith and the cultural findings, a 38-word Cricket Australia’s new Players’ Pact has also been released as part of the Ethics Review.

“We recognise how lucky we are to play this great game. We respect the game and its traditions. We want to make all Australians proud. Compete with us. Smile with us. Fight on with us. Dream with us.”

The pact was formed by Rick McCosker, Ethics Centre consultant Peter Collins, Australian coach Justin Langer, Test captain Tim Paine, stand-in women’s captain Rachael Haynes, Pat Cummins, George Bailey and Shane Watson.

Test captain Paine laid emphasis on the pact being a ‘commitment’ from Australian players. “This represents a commitment from Australian players to adhere to a set of overarching standards. “This is a line in the sand for us as players and we’re very much looking forward to focussing on the future of the game, playing with pride and making Australians proud. The pact pulls together common themes from team values and embeds them into a simple message,” he said.

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