The Australia players banned for ball-tampering could see their suspensions reduced as early as Tuesday.
Former captain Steve Smith, his then-vice captain David Warner and batsman Cameron Bancroft were handed long penalties – 12 months for Smith and Warner, nine for Bancroft – for their role in the plan to doctor the condition of the ball during a Test against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town last March.
Yet the Australian Cricketers’ Association are lobbying for their time on the sidelines to be reduced, with governing body Cricket Australia poised to make a decision at a board meeting this week, possibly even on Tuesday.
According to reports in Australia, the players’ union has provided a range of options to CA in the hope of ensuring leniency.
Even if the bans are not reduced, Smith and Warner would be available for next summer’s Ashes in England – though the ACA would like to see them, and Bancroft, back before the end of the Sheffield Shield in March.
