Steven Smith to not challenge CA ban for ball-tampering

Australia's sacked captain Steven Smith has confirmed that he will not be contesting the charge laid down on him by Cricket Australia for leading the way in the ball-tampering scandal. While Smith was suspended for one year from international and domestic cricket by CA, he was free to contest the charge and walk the legal way in pursuit of a lighter penalty. Smith took to his Twitter handle to announce his intentions, stating that “I have accepted” the ban of one year by his home board.

I would give anything to have this behind me and be back representing my country. But I meant what I said about taking full responsibility as Captain of the team. I won’t be challenging the sanctions. They’ve been imposed by CA to send a strong message and I have accepted them.

— Steve Smith (@stevesmith49) April 4, 2018

Alongside Smith, his deputy David Warner was also handed over a one-year suspension while Cameron Bancroft, who acted as per orders from his leaders, was given a ban for nine months. Both Warner, who has also been stripped from leading Australia ever again, and Bancroft, who, like Smith, cannot captain the national side for the next two years, are yet to declare if they will be attempting to challenge CA's verdict.

Last week, the CA CEO James Sutherland had said that as per the CA's code of conduct, all penalized players had the right to try and reduce their suspensions. "If they do take that to appeal, that's a good, proper legal process. As a course of natural justice under our code, players have the right," he had said.

Following Smith's arrival home in Sydney, he had broken down in the press conference while accepting and apologizing for his misdeeds as the captain of the side. "I want to, as captain of the Australian cricket team, take full responsibility," he said. "I made a serious error in judgement. It was a failure of leadership, my leadership. I know I’ll regret this for the rest of my life. I’m absolutely gutted."

Warner, on his part, had also shed tears in front of cameramen, fearing that he might never play for Australia again. "In the back of my mind I suppose there is a tiny ray of hope that I may one day be given the privilege of playing for my country again, but I am resigned to the fact that that may never happen,” he said.

Both Smith and Warner lost their IPL contracts following the tampering scandal at Cape Town after both had stepped down from the captaincy of their respective franchises.