Smith banned and fined, Bancroft down three demerit points
Aussie skipper Steve Smith has been handed a one Test ban for his complicity in the ball tampering scandal in the 3rd Test against South Africa. He has been fined 100 percent of his match fee and will have four demerit points on his record as well.
Cameron Bancroft used a foreign item on the ball and slid that object into his pants before he was asked to show the object. When asked, Bancroft produced a sunglass cover from his pocket.
However, he along with Smith later admitted their guilt in a public confession and Smith acknowledged that the “leadership group” knew about it. Steve Smith and David Warner then stepped down as captain and vice-captain respectively on Sunday.
ICC Chief Executive David Richardson laid the charge against Smith under to Article 2.2.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel which forbids ‘all types of conduct of a serious nature that is contrary to the spirit of the game’.
Mr Richardson said, “The decision made by the leadership group of the Australian team to act in this way is clearly contrary to the spirit of the game, risks causing significant damage to the integrity of the match, the players and the sport itself and is therefore ‘serious’ in nature. As captain, Steve Smith must take full responsibility for the actions of his players and it is appropriate that he be suspended.”
“The game needs to have a hard look at itself. In recent weeks we have seen incidents of ugly sledging, send-offs, dissent against umpires’ decisions, a walk-off, ball tampering and some ordinary off-field behavior.
“The ICC needs to do more to prevent poor behavior and better police the spirit of the game, defining more clearly what is expected of players and enforcing the regulations in a consistent fashion. In addition and most importantly Member countries need to show more accountability for their teams’ conduct. Winning is important but not at the expense of the spirit of the game which is intrinsic and precious to the sport of cricket. We have to raise the bar across all areas.”
Cameron Bancroft, on the other hand, has been fined 75 percent of his match fee alongside three demerit points on his record.
Bancroft admitted that he breached Article 2.2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel,which relates to “changing the condition of the ball in breach of clause 41.3.” and accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees. Hence, there was no need for a formal hearing.
Commenting on his decision, Mr Pycroft said: “To carry a foreign object on to the field of play with the intention of changing the condition of the ball to gain an unfair advantage over your opponent is against not only the Laws, but the Spirit of the game as well.
“That said, I acknowledge that Cameron has accepted responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty to the charge and apologising publicly. As a young player starting out in international cricket, I hope the lessons learned from this episode will strongly influence the way he plays the game during the rest of his career.”
