Former Australia vice-captain David Warner has decided not to appeal his 12-month ban for his part in the ball-tampering scandal against South Africa.
Warner and former skipper Steve Smith were given year-long suspensions, while batsman Cameron Bancroft was issued a nine-month ban, following Cricket Australia’s investigation into the scandal during the third Test match in Cape Town.
Smith and Bancroft said yesterday that they accepted their bans, and today Warner followed suit.
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News.com.au reports that after being “pinned as the mastermind in the entire scandal”, Warner had been expected to “go down swinging” by appealing his suspension.
However, with just 90 minutes before Cricket Australia’s 5pm deadline, he “pulled a surprising move” with a statement published on social media.
Warner tweeted: “I have today let Cricket Australia know that I fully accept the sanctions imposed on me. I am truly sorry for my actions and will now do everything I can to be a better person, teammate and role model.”
As well as the suspensions, Cricket Australia said last week that Warner will “not be considered for team leadership positions in the future”. Smith will also not be able to hold any captaincy role until at least 12 months after the conclusion of his suspension from international and domestic cricket.