Ashish Nehra on ball-tampering Controversy: Life ban for Steve Smith Will be 'too harsh'

New Delhi [India], Mar. 26 (ANI): Taking a swift stand on the Australian ball-tampering controversy which caught skipper Steve Smith and other players on wrong foot, veteran Indian pacer Ashish Nehra on Monday said life ban for the erring cricketers would be a little "too harsh".

"Life ban for them would be too harsh, not just for them but for any player," Smith told reporters.

"You have to give them [Smith and David Warner] credit that they accepted to ball-tampering and stood down from captaincy and vice-captaincy," the left-arm pacer added.

Commenting on the erring cricketers' future in the upcoming IPL season, Nehra said, "I do not think they should be expelled from IPL. Even if they play as players and not as captains for their respective franchises, the teams would be benefitted. They did a mistake but they admitted to it so we should move forward now."

Earlier, Smith confessed to reporters in Cape Town on Saturday that the decision on ball-tampering had been taken by the "leadership group" of the team.

Following the fiasco, he and Warner stood down as captain and vice-captain respectively. Smith also stood down as the captain of his IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals.

Smith was handed a one-match suspension and fined 100 percent of his match fee for his leadership role in ball-tampering.

Additionally, Australia opener Cameron Bancroft has been fined 75 percent of his match fee and handed three demerit points for breaching Level 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct.