IPL 2018: Why Smith must not be treated as criminal over ball tampering row
IPL 2018 : The ball tampering scandal involving Australian cricket team captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft has seen some serious action being taken by Cricket Australia, as well as Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council.
Four days after the scandal came to light, Cricket Australia swung into action on Wednesday and suspended all three. While Smith and Warner were handed a 12-month suspension from the national side, Bancroft got a 9-month suspension.
Meanwhile, the IPL governing council in New Delhi also decided to bar Smith and Warner from VIvo IPL 2018. Both had earlier stepped down from the captaincy of their respective IPL 2018 franchises – Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad – after the duo had earlier been retained by the franchises for a whopping Rs 125 million each.
Earlier, Australian cricket team captain Steve Smith had admitted to his side’s deliberate and pre-planned act of ball tampering on field on the third day of their third test match against South Africa in Cape Town. After opening batsman Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera while scratching the ball, Smith had said that it was his team’s pre-meditated strategy, hatched during the lunch break, with the team leadership also involved.
According to a CA statement, Smith and Bancroft were also banned from leadership positions for 12 months after completing their one-year ban from international and domestic cricket. Warner was banned from all leadership positions in Australian cricket for life.
The players were found to have breached article 2.3.5 of the CA Code of Conduct, which relates to conduct at any time that is contrary to the spirit of the game, unbecoming of a representative, harmful to the interests of the game or bringing the game into disrepute.
The three will be allowed to play club cricket and were encouraged by the CA to do so “to maintain links with the cricket community”.
However, there also are views that the punishments handed to the three cricketers might be too harsh, given the nature of their offence. Should they have been banned by the IPL governing council from participating in IPL 2018, and by CA from playing for the country or taking leadership positions in the team for a year or more?
Meanwhile, the IPL governing council in New Delhi also decided to bar Smith and Warner from VIvo IPL 2018. Both had earlier stepped down from the captaincy of their respective IPL 2018 franchises – Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad – after the duo had earlier been retained by the franchises for a whopping Rs 125 million each.
Earlier, Australian cricket team captain Steve Smith had admitted to his side’s deliberate and pre-planned act of ball tampering on field on the third day of their third test match against South Africa in Cape Town. After opening batsman Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera while scratching the ball, Smith had said that it was his team’s pre-meditated strategy, hatched during the lunch break, with the team leadership also involved.
According to a CA statement, Smith and Bancroft were also banned from leadership positions for 12 months after completing their one-year ban from international and domestic cricket. Warner was banned from all leadership positions in Australian cricket for life.
The players were found to have breached article 2.3.5 of the CA Code of Conduct, which relates to conduct at any time that is contrary to the spirit of the game, unbecoming of a representative, harmful to the interests of the game or bringing the game into disrepute.
The three will be allowed to play club cricket and were encouraged by the CA to do so “to maintain links with the cricket community”.
However, there also are views that the punishments handed to the three cricketers might be too harsh, given the nature of their offence. Should they have been banned by the IPL governing council from participating in IPL 2018, and by CA from playing for the country or taking leadership positions in the team for a year or more?
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