Shane Warner, the former Aussie legend, has opined that one year ban was too harsh for the three players who found themselves in the dock.
Warner believes a milder punishment was enough for the players,
“To hear that the Australian cricket team had been involved in premeditated cheating is something that is embarrassing,” Warne wrote for News Ltd.
“But the jump to hysteria is something that has elevated the offence beyond what they actually did, and maybe we’re at a point where the punishment just might not fit the crime.
The hysteria has gone worldwide … But what are the players guilty of? Cheating via ball tampering and bringing the game into disrepute. Their opposing captain in this series, South Africa’s Faf du Plessis, has been charged with ball-tampering twice, and opening bowler Vernon Philander once,” he further added.
Cricket Australia confirmed the ban of one year for Steven Smith Smith and David Warner while Cameron Bancroft is only eligible to make a comeback after nine months.
Further, both Smith and Bancroft will have to wait for 24 months from now to be considered for the post of captain.
On the other hand, Warner will not be considered for the coveted post in future.
The left-handed batsman was in line to succeed Steven Smith as the T20I captain on a permanent basis.
Smith played his last T20I way back in 2016, and Warner looked all set to take over the job.
However, he is now only eligible to play for Australia – after one year – and cannot lead the team again.
He had led IPL Sunrisers Hyderabad to a title victory in 2016.
The punishment announced by CA also saw Warner and Smith losing out on big IPL deals.
Both the players will miss the coming season of IPL after BCCI confirmed the news.
Their respective franchises retained both of them for the same price of Rs 12.50 Crore.
Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals will have to look for big players who can fill in their boots.
SRH will also have to look for a new captain as RR had already inked on Ajinkya Rahane.
Next year, both Warne and Smith will go under the hammer in the IPL auction 2019.
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia had already called in Matt Renshaw, Glenn Maxwell and Joe Burns to replace Smith, Warner, and Bancroft in the squad for the fourth Test.
The banned players will fly back home today (March 28).
The fourth Test match of the series starts on March 30 in Johannesburg.
South Africa are leading the series 2-1.
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