CANBERRA: Disgraced Australia skipper Steve Smith and senior batsman David Warner were Wednesday banned from top-level cricket for a year over a cheating scandal that has rocked the sport and dragged their side’s reputation through the mud.
Both players have also been ejected from this year’s Indian Premier League, losing contracts worth nearly $2 million each.
A statement from Cricket Australia (CA) said Smith and Warner had been suspended from “all international and domestic cricket” while opening batsman Cameron Bancroft has been banned for nine months over the ball-tampering incident during the third Test in South Africa.
A Cricket Australia spokesman told AFP the players could still play at club level in Australia or in other countries.
Smith was charged with knowledge of a potential plan “to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball” but Warner was charged with developing the plan and instructing Bancroft to carry it out using sandpaper.
The CA statement said Smith and Bancroft would not be considered for team leadership positions until a minimum of 12 months after the end of their suspensions, but Warner will be barred from such positions in the future.
All three players will also be required to undertake 100 hours of voluntary service in community cricket