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The one-year suspensions of the former captain and vice captain of Australian cricket come to an end today, leaving a line in the sand to officially put an end to a deeply unpleasant episode.
Since March 24, 2018, when inaugural drummer Cameron Bancroft was surprised by television cameras that were trying to scramble one side of the balloon with a sandpaper during a test match against South Africa , the Australian cricket was stuck in navel mode to try to go from the front. trying to forget the past.
The good news, however, is that when they return, Australian cricket star Shane Warne expects the two men to "be on fire".
"They like the game," Warne told CNN. "It is very difficult to take away this card for a year, I am expecting huge things for them this year, I think the current year will have refreshed them the spirit, They will be fit and ready to go. "
In a sense, neither Warner nor Smith has really disappeared from the garish landscape; they have both competed in Twenty20, an abbreviated game format, in Canada and Bangladesh since the incident. After being excluded from the 2018 Indian Premier League, both players made their comeback this year. Warner made 85 in his first match of the 2019 tournament.
"Need to be punished"
However, the official culmination of their prohibitions – whose length has proved to be a divisive issue as the first wrongdoing – remains an important moment.
Indeed, it is a date that marks the return of the pair as international cricketers before a crucial year; Australia faces the double challenge of a World Cup, as well as a later series of Ashes.
Although he is not trying to minimize the seriousness of the attempt to falsify the ball, he wonders, twelve months later, whether the sentence inflicted by Cricket Australia was up to the crime.
"First, I do not tolerate what they did," he explained. "Two, I do not know how has it come to this stage, where you can use sandpaper on the ground.It's the most disappointing thing for me: how did it come to take this decision.
"But you compare the penalties they've had – Smith and Warner – to those of all the other falsified players.Because you sneak or not, you do not say:" This ball falsification is worse that ball-falsification.You do it or you do not do it.
"Some people only have a small portion of their match fees [taken away]. So a 12-month ban would probably be about $ 8 million, "warns Warner, citing the financial risk the players have suffered." It's a very big fine. But yes, they had to be punished. I agree with that.
"I think at the end of the day, these guys will be welcomed by the Australian public, I think they're going to have a tough time here in England, they're going to be a little nailed and sing songs on and all those kinds of things. "
"Media storm"
In the opinion of former English captain Nbader Hussain, the way the two stars are reinstated in the national configuration could be crucial to Australia's chances at the World Cup – a competition that She has dominated recently, winning four of the previous five editions.
"How will they cope and deal with everything that's going to be important," he told CNN. "It will be a media storm and it will be pretty close to the tournament, it will not be fair, but it will be reasonably close."
"You do not want the focus to be on two cricketers.That has never been the case for Australian cricket.This has always been about the team.They will be a force especially if Warner and Smith come back. "
A spokesman for Cricket Australia confirmed to CNN that "things would happen as usual" with regard to the treatment of the pair as they perform their international return, despite the fact that they are not allowed to return. interest that the presence of the duo will arouse.
He added, "Australian Cricket has changed a lot in the last 12 months, on and off the field, and we expect the recent success of the men's and women's teams to continue in the World Cup and the Ashes."
Indeed, the most curious aspect of a scenario that, in the opinion of many, could change the future of Australian cricket is what happens next.
Since the bans of this couple were pronounced last year, the landscape of Cricket Australia has actually changed. Coach Darren Lehmann left his role after being replaced by former drummer Justin Langer.
Chief Executive James Sutherland also stepped down after 17 years, but denied it was directly related to the scandal. Cricket Australia (CA) president David Peever then resigned in November following a damning review of the organization's culture. Just days after the initial incident, Magellan, the copyright sponsor, had terminated his contract with the Australian test team.
On the field, after a humiliating defeat against England and defeats against Pakistan and India, he showed signs of recovery. A one – day victory in India was enlightened by drummers Usman Khawaja and Aaron Finch.
For Warne, however, there is no debate on Warner and Smith's return to the side.
"I mean, if you take [England’s] Jos Buttler and Joe Root get out of the group and some guys come in and do very well, then they get ready, they go right back, "he said. Because they are the best, unfortunately.
"It's a good thing to do, but some players will be missing, but that means it's solid, it's a strong team, Smith and Warner are coming back to this camp because they're clbady. proved that it is good to have this backup.
"[They have] their time, paid their fine. They will be ready to leave. "
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