David Warner

Warner joins Smith and Bancroft in accepting sanctions

Australia news



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We hope they rebuild their careers and regain the trust of fans, said James Sutherland of the three suspended cricketers.

David Warner has joined Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft in accepting the sanctions imposed on him by Cricket Australia (CA) for his role in the ball-tampering incident during the Cape Town Test against South Africa recently.

Smith and Warner had been slapped with 12-month bans from international and domestic cricket, while Bancroft was given a nine-month suspension.

The three players had the option of appealing against the bans, but Smith and Bancroft confirmed on Wednesday that they wouldn’t be doing so, and Warner did likewise on Thursday, taking the Twitter route to make public his opinion just like the others did.


“I have today let Cricket Australia know that I fully accept the sanctions imposed on me. I am truly sorry for my actions and will now do everything I can to be a better person, teammate and role model,” tweeted Warner.

Along with the ban, Warner has also been precluded from holding any leadership role in the Australian team for the remainder of his playing career.


Warner is, however, allowed to play Premier Cricket as well in overseas domestic competitions, subject to CA’s clearance.

James Sutherland, the CA Chief Executive, responded to the statements by the three cricketers by expressing the hope that Smith, Warner and Bancroft return to the game and regain the trust of the fans.

“The events of Cape Town have severely affected the game. It has also been humbling to be reminded of the passion all Australians have for our great game,” said Sutherland.

'We hope they rebuild their careers and regain the trust of fans' - James Sutherland
'We hope they rebuild their careers and regain the trust of fans' - James Sutherland


“These are significant penalties for professional cricketers. They were not imposed lightly. We know the players will return to playing the game they love, and in doing so, we hope they rebuild their careers and regain the trust of fans.”

Following TV cameras catching Bancroft using what was later confirmed to be sandpaper on the ball, Smith and Bancroft confessed to trying to alter the condition of the ball. The International Cricket Council soon responded by handing a one-match suspension to Smith, along with a fine of 100 per cent of his match fee, while Bancroft was fined 75 per cent of his match fee and given three demerit points.

'Will now do everything I can to be a better person, teammate and role model' - Warner
'Will now do everything I can to be a better person, teammate and role model' - Warner


CA carried out their own investigation into the matter after that and subsequently stood down Smith and Warner, who was found to have hatched the plan to use sandpaper to scuff up the ball, for the final Test of the series in Johannesburg.

The decision to ban the three cricketers came soon after.

On his return home from South Africa, Warner addressed a press gathering, where he said that he wasn’t sure if he would ever get to play for Australia again. “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 that may never happen again,” he had said.

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