Cricket Australia (CA) remain steadfast in their bid to reintegrate banned batsman David Warner despite the recent controversial interviews from Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft.
Warner, Smith and Bancroft were all handed bans by CA following their involvement in the ball-tampering saga that occurred during Australia’s tour of South Africa.
While Smith and Warner were handed one-year bans from international and domestic cricket, Bancroft was given a nine-month suspension.
Recently, both Smith and Bancroft have come out with interviews in which they had slightly attempted to deflect the blame for the infamous episode on to Warner’s shoulders.
In an interview with Fox Cricket, Smith had washed his hands off from taking complete blame for the saga and instead put down Warner as the chief instigator for the scandal. “I don’t want to know about it,” Smith had supposedly told Warner in his own words after the plan to tamper with the ball had been laid out by the former Aussie vice-captain.
Bancroft too, had laid greater part of the blame on Warner’s shoulders by suggesting that it was the deputy skipper who had directed him to tamper with the ball at Newlands.
Despite these recent revelations, CA are committed to reintroducing Warner into the Australia setup upon the completion of his ban in March next year.
Smith and Bancroft’s interviews had put Warner in poor light.
Upon being asked if the interviews would hamper plans to reintegrate Warner, CA chief executive Kevin Roberts told SEN Radio, “I don’t know that it does.”
“Our focus is to work with Dave (Warner), who I spoke to about three days ago on his integration plan. I think what is really important is that Dave, Steve and Cameron will really need sign to up to the players’ mantra that everything they do is really seeking to make Australians proud. Our non-negotiable expectation is that we compete with honour,” Roberts continued.
“The Cape Town incident happened nine months ago, the investigation was conducted, the sanctions were handed down, and our focus now is working towards the reintegration of the players. Our focus is on that reintegration and moving forward as to how we can support all of the players through that period.”
Warner has remained silent on his part since the interviews by Smith and Warner were aired.
