Cricketers Steve Smith and David Warner have been banned for 12 months over the Australia ball-tampering scandal. "They go to the integrity and reputation of Australian Cricket and Australian sport and the penalties must reflect that. secretary Mr Amitabh Choudhary, has decided to ban Mr Smith and Mr Warner with immediate effect from participation in IPL 2018." Smith, 28, was charged with "knowledge of a potential plan to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball". Meanwhile, a review into the culture of the Australian cricket team, brought into sharp focus in the wake of the scandal, will be published in due course.

Source: Evening echo March 28, 2018 11:03 UTC