India vs Australia | Simon Katich not in favour of tainted trio’s ban being removed ahead of India series

Cricket Australia’s Ethics Centre's independent review stated that the association’s race to corporatise, centralise and improve team performance over the past seven years, have made them "arrogant" and "controlling". The review which was composed by Dr Simon Longstaff and former Test batsman Rick McCosker, in no uncertain terms stated that the 2011 Argus review, which introduced more outward corporate structures and goals in CA, is the key to players’ ethics and sportsmanship going down which culminated with the Newlands ball-tampering scandal.

After the committee slammed the board, Australian Cricketers' Association announced that it will make a formal submission to CA calling for an immediate removal of the 12-month suspensions imposed on Smith and Warner and the nine-month ban on Bancroft as they are not solely responsible for the mistake they committed and as review found out, CA played a role too. However, Katich, who served as a player liaison manager and consultant to the ACA during last year’s MOU negotiations, voiced his opposition to ACA’s demand and called for the bans to continue as he indirectly stated that the players shouldn’t be allowed to take part in the India series.

“I think the players should see out their bans. They admitted what they did was wrong, and they blatantly cheated,” he told Melbourne radio station SEN.

“I just don’t think shortening the bans is going to do anyone any good. I think the public will be disappointed to think they could get away with what they did just because of what this (Ethics Centre culture) review has found. They have to be responsible for their actions, regardless of what is going on in the background with the administrators and the culture that's been created.

“The players still have to put their hand up – which they have – and cop the bans on the chin and do their time. They'll earn a lot more respect that way than if the ban gets shortened … because, realistically, if the bans get shortened it's like the review said – it’s a win-at-all-costs mentality.

“From a welfare point of view, it would be important they can come back and play the game they love and they have done it tough. But what they did, as grown men … they knew they couldn't take sandpaper out there (on the field) otherwise why were they trying to hide it down their pants?”

While Katich made his statement loud and clear regarding the tainted trio’s ban being overturned, former coach Darren Lehmann, Adam Gilchrist, and Rod Marsh recently spoke in the support of the trio.

If Cricket Australia deny to changing the verdict, which seems more prominent after CA chairman David Pever’s recent comments, Australia will have to field a weaker squad against India in the forthcoming home summer.