Cricket Australia to consider relaxing ball-tampering trio's bans

The governing body has come under pressure from the Australian Cricketers' Association to relax the suspensions in the wake of The Ethics Centre's review of cricketing culture Down Under

Cricket Australia will discuss the possibility of reducing the ball-tampering bans handed down to Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, chief executive Kevin Roberts has said.

The governing body has come under pressure from the Australian Cricketers' Association to relax the suspensions in the wake of The Ethics Centre's review of cricketing culture Down Under, suggesting that their "win-at-all-costs" mentality contributed to events in Cape Town in March.

The ACA has made formal representations to the Cricket Australia board and Roberts revealed that the matter would be given "due consideration" by officials in the coming days.

^{Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft speak to the umpires in Cape Town}

“The ACA submission around the players’ sanctions was received by the board a few days ago,” Roberts said.

“It was addressed to the board rather than to me or all management. So not for me to comment on a board matter other than to say that the board will be respecting that submission and giving it due consideration.”

Smith and Warner are serving 12-month sentences, while Bancroft's nine-month ban expires in the new year.

The suspensions apply to all Sheffield Shield and Big Bash matches as well as international cricket.

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