Mitchell Johnson says bans against Australian trio should stay

Australian cricket is enduring one of its worst phases and a run of losses in recent times prompted calls to bring back the two-star players — Smith and Warner — before the contests against India.

Johnson is not the first Australian cricketer to say that the bans should remain.

Former pacer Mitchell Johnson on Sunday said that the ball-tampering ban on the Australian trio of Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft should not be reduced as the players have not challenged the board’s sentence.

Australian cricket is enduring one of its worst phases and a run of losses in recent times prompted calls to bring back the two-star players — Smith and Warner — before the contests against India.

While then skipper Smith and Warner were handed one-year ban, Cameron Bancroft, the third player involved in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa, was handed a nine-month suspension following the infamous ‘Sandpaper Gate’ scandal. Johnson, however, has spoken against it.

 

The former Australia pacer was responding to a cricket journalist’s tweet, where he wrote about the possibility of ban reduction being “seriously discussed”.

Australia is slated to play India in four Tests, three One-day Internationals and as many T20 Internationals. Johnson is not the first Australian cricketer to say that the bans should remain.