Quote:
Originally Posted by FireGilbert
Smith and Warner have been suspended for 12 months while Bancroft will be out for 9.
Seems a little harsh, I wouldn't be surprised if there are appeals.
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If they were to appeal, they would need to wait until the public backlash cools down. Appealing now they may have a case in law, but the court of public opinion would destroy them. Sponsors are already fleeing, so the best course of action is likely to cop the ban, show genuine remorse, and fade into the background in the short term. That way in 6-9 months they can start positioning themselves for recalls for the Ashes.
I think this is the first action, and then a deeper review may bring more changes. IMO to clean up the image of the team, Lehmann has to go, and you either bring in a well respected foreign coach or an ex-Aussie player with a strong presence and reputation. My ideal choice would be Gillespie, due to his coaching track record in County, or Gilchrist as he is the poster-boy of sportsmanship from the past generation of players. Maybe even the pair of them, with Gilchrist cast as more of a mentor and Gillespie the traditional coach.
I think there has been a gradual decline of ethics and behaviour over time, which has led to the situation that the team is now in. It isn't like 2-3 players decided overnight to cheat. I think there needs to be scrutiny at all levels and an emphasis on professional, sportsmanlike conduct.
What this also does now for other teams is show a clear statement of intent - whether you think the penalty is too severe, too lenient, not enough players penalized, what it says is that this is serious and warrants real punishment. ICC needs to revisit rules and other associations now need to either punish as severely or look like they condone the practice.
So Faf should lay off the mints
