Australian paceman Peter Siddle believes that the ball-tampering instigators Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft should serve out the remainder of their bans despite calls for Cricket Australia to lift the bans, saying the “punishments are there for a reason”.

The then captain and vice-captain of Australia, Smith and Warner were banned for a year each for their role in the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal in March, while Bancroft was suspended for nine months.

Recently, the Australian players union demanded CA lift the bans immediately following the release of the Longstaff review, which blamed the country’s cricket board in part for the events in South Africa.

On November 1 (Thursday), Siddle told reporters, “You always want to see them playing cricket but I think ... the punishments are there for a reason. They understood the reasons why they got those punishments so I think ... it comes down to them, obviously, serving them out, copping the penalty that they got. And it's very close to them being back. They've still been playing cricket around the world, staying fit and everything like that.”

Meanwhile, the fast-bowler said that he also wants to see his friends back on the field but serving the full bans would help clean up the game. Siddle signed off by saying, “Obviously I'm close mates with them and we'd like to see them out there but also, hopefully, their punishments can be something moving forward. Like JL (Australia coach Justin Langer) spoke about last night that hopefully it does clean up the game and make it for the good of the game.”

(Input: India Today)