Cricket: Australian ball-tampering: Steve Smith and David Warner banned for 12 months

Archive
2 min read
Cricket: Australian ball-tampering: Steve Smith and David Warner banned for 12 months

Australia captain Steve Smith and vice-skipper David Warner have been banned for a year for ball-tampering.

How did we get here?

The charges in full:

  • knew of a potential plan to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball
  • failed to take steps to seek to prevent the development and implementation of that plan
  • directed that evidence of attempted tampering be concealed on the field of play
  • sought to mislead match officials and others regarding Bancroft's attempts to artificially alter the condition of the ball
  • made misleading public comments regarding the nature, extent and participants of the plan
  • developed a plan to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball
  • instructed a junior player to carry out a plan to take steps to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball using sandpaper
  • provided advice to a junior player regarding how a ball could be artificially altered including demonstrating how it could be done
  • failed to take steps to seek to prevent the development and/or implementation of the plan
  • failed to report his knowledge of the plan at any time prior to or during the match
  • misled match officials through the concealment of his knowledge of and involvement in the plan
  • failed to voluntarily report his knowledge of the plan after the match
  • knew of the existence of, and was being party to, the plan to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball using sandpaper
  • carried out instructions to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball
  • sought to conceal evidence of his attempts to artificially alter the condition of the ball
  • sought to mislead match officials and others regarding his attempts to artificially alter the condition of the ball
  • made misleading public comments regarding the nature, extent, implementation and participants of the plan

Is this the end of the matter?

So was it cheating?

How big a loss are Smith and Warner?

What will they miss?

Published March 28, 2018

Join the discussion — please keep to our Community Guidelines.