Players’ union calls for reduced bans for Steve Smith, David Warner, Cameron Bancroft

Agencies
April 3, 2018

Sydney, Apr 3: Australia’s players’ union has called for a reduction in the bans handed out to Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft for their part in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa last week, describing them as “disproportionate”. Former captain Smith and former vice-captain Warner were handed 12-month bans, and batsman Bancroft suspended for nine months by Cricket Australia after the latter was caught using a piece of sandpaper on the ball in the third test in Cape Town.

“The proposed penalties are disproportionate relative to precedent,” Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) president Greg Dyer told a news conference in Sydney on Tuesday. “We ask that consideration be given to recalibrating the proposed sanctions, to consider options such as suspending or reducing part of the sanction.

“To consider allowing the players to return to domestic cricket earlier, for example, as part of their rehabilitation.” The players have until Thursday to appeal their bans, decisions Dyer believed were “imminent” but “highly personal” to be decided by the players with their own legal counsel.

The trio returned to Australia at the end of last week, all three giving emotional news conferences where they accepted responsibility for their actions with none suggesting they might appeal. Smith and Warner, who were also stripped of their leadership positions, stand to lose millions of dollars in earnings with sponsors dropping them last week and the bans costing them $1.85 million Indian Premier League contracts for this season.

Smith and Bancroft were banned from holding leadership positions within the Australian team for two years, while Warner will never be able to hold such a position again. The harsher penalty for Warner reflects the findings of the Cricket Australia investigation which alleged the opening batsman was the chief instigator of the plot to cheat.

Warner, who has said he was resigned to not playing for his country again, attracted some criticism after his news conference in Sydney on Saturday for not answering questions, instead deflecting them with a pre-prepared line. Bancroft was cast as the junior player led astray by Warner, while Smith appears to be well on his way to redemption after breaking down in tears after his arrival news conference.

Dyer said the contrition of the players should be taken into account along with the precedent — no player has previously received more than a one-match ban for the offence — and a lack of due process in the Cricket Australia probe.

“I think Australia cried with Steve Smith last Thursday. I know I certainly did,” Dyer added. “We ask for this extraordinary contrition to be taken into account by Cricket Australia just as it would be in any fair and proper process.”

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News Network
June 6,2020

New Delhi, Jun 6: Former West Indies pacer Michael Holding has come out in support of MS Dhoni, saying that the wicket-keeper batsman indeed wanted to win the match against England in the 2019 World Cup.

India's performance in the World Cup match against England last year has once again become a matter of debate as all-rounder Ben Stokes in his book titled 'On Fire' questioned the intent of the Indian side.

Stokes also said that Dhoni's intent was questionable as he did not go for big shots when India still had a chance to win the match.

However, Holding said that nowadays people tend to write anything in their books.

"Well, people will write anything in books these days, because people are a lot more free with their opinions and when they are writing books, they need to be making headlines at times," Holding said on his official YouTube channel.

"But, to be honest, a lot of people watching that game perhaps wouldn't have arrived to the same conclusion that Ben Stokes arrived at that India were not trying to win," he added.

Holding did say that it seemed like that India did not have the same intensity as they would have had if the match was a do-or-die match.

"It was not the game that India had to win, but I don't think anyone can say that was a team tactic to lose the game. I watched that game and it appeared to me as if India weren't putting up their 100 per cent, but I realised it was not the case when the expression on MS Dhoni's face told me that he desperately wanted to win, so I do not think it was a team decision to not try to win," the former Windies pacer said.

"But I don't think they went with the same intensity of wanting to win the game, say, if it was a do-or-die situation. If it was, we would have seen a different game," he added.

On his official YouTube channel, Holding also said that no team goes in with a set pattern in terms of chasing targets.

In the round-robin stage match against England in Birmingham, India failed to chase down the massive target of 338 and fell short by 31 runs.

That was the only game that India lost in the premier tournament last year before the semifinal loss against the Kiwis.

India's chasing approach, in particular of wicket-keeper batsman Dhoni, was criticised by many, including the fans at home.

As soon as Stokes mentioned Dhoni's lack of intent in his book 'On Fire', Pakistan fans started saying that India deliberately lost the match to knock out their neighbours.

However, Stokes clarified that he never said India lost deliberately and some people were twisting his words.

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News Network
January 13,2020

Mumbai, Jan 13: India captain Virat Kohli indicated at dropping himself down the batting order to accommodate both Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul in the playing XI against Australia in the first ODI of the three-match series starting Tuesday.

With vice-captain Rohit Sharma an automatic pick, the team management is left with tough choice of selecting either Dhawan or Rahul in the XI. But the skipper sees no reason why both can't play together.

"Look, a guy in form is always good for the team. ...You obviously want to have the best players available and then chose from what the combination should be for the team. There might be a possibility that all three (Rohit, Shikhar and Rahul) might play. It will be interesting to see what balance we want to take in on the field," Kohli said on the eve of the match.

Asked if he would he be happy to bat lower down the order, Virat said,"Yeah, big possibility. I would be very happy to do so. Look I am not possessive about where I play. I am not insecure about where I bat," said the skipper.

For Kohli, it is more important as to what kind of leadership legacy he leaves behind rather than chase personal glory.

"Being the captain of the team, it is my job to make sure that the next lot is also ready. A lot of the other people might not look at it that way, but your job as a captain is not only to look after the team right now, but also to prepare a team that you leave behind when you eventually pass it onto someone else," he added.

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Agencies
August 3,2020

Silverstone, Aug 2: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton on Sunday won his seventh British Grand Prix title after a dramatic last-lap at the Silverstone Circuit.

Hamilton and teammate Valtteri Bottas were at the first and second spot respectively until tyre drama struck.

Second-placed man Bottas was the first to suffer as his tyre deflated on lap 50, resulting in 11th place finish. Hamilton also suffered a similar issue before the final few seconds of the race.

However, with Max Verstappen having opted to pit a few laps from the end to try and claim the fastest lap, Hamilton had enough time in hand to just cross the line first, five seconds ahead of Verstappen and the third-placed Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.

McLaren's Carlos Sainz had been set to finish fourth, but his own last lap tyre issue saw him eventually come home P13, allowing Renault's Daniel Ricciardo to claim fourth, following a late pass on the sister McLaren of Lando Norris.

Renault's Esteban Ocon finished sixth, having enjoyed a race-long battle with Lance Stroll's Racing Point, with Pierre Gasly having enjoyed a fine race to finish seventh for AlphaTauri.

Alex Albon finished eighth for Red Bull, having recovered from a lap 1 tussle with the Haas of Kevin Magnussen that saw him fall to last, while Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel rounded out the top 10, Vettel holding off a late charge form the recovering Mercedes of Bottas.

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