Former Australia captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner are likely to push Cricket Australia for relaxation of the suspensions they received for their role in the disgraceful ball-tampering saga that shook Australian Cricket last week.
On Wednesday (March 28), Cricket Australia banned Smith and Warner for 12 months, while rookie opener Cameron Bancroft was handed a 9-month suspension from international cricket.
Besides the proposed sanctions, CA had also stated that each one of the convicted trio will have to complete 100 hours of community service before being considered for future selection. While Smith and Bancroft will have to wait two years before they are considered for leadership roles, Warner will never again be considered for captaincy as he was found to be the instigator of the plan.
Smith, Warner and Bancroft are still eligible to compete in club cricket, but they can’t take part in state or international games for the duration of their bans. Given the fact that the trio aren’t eligible to play in domestic setup, it is likely to hamper their chances of selection once their bans lapse.
Warner, in his press conference on Saturday, said that he wishes to represent Australia again but was "resigned to the fact that it may never happen."
"There's a tiny ray of hope that I may one day be given the privilege of playing for my country again but I'm resigned to the fact that it may never happen. In the coming weeks and months I'm going to look at how this happened and who I am as a man. I will seek out advice and expertise to help me make serious changes," Warner had said.
Following the media conference, Warner took to micro-blogging site Twitter and stated in his tweets, "I am taking advice to make sure I properly comply with that process."
Even though Smith and Bancroft had not spoken much about the process and the bans, it is believed that all three players are working closely with their managers and they will decide ‘what additional level of legal advice the tainted players need’ going forward.
While the CA announced that Smith, Warner and Bancroft had seven days from the moment of formally receiving their charges to respond, the charge notes sent to all three players specified April 11 in Melbourne as the date and location for any hearing.
