Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft will have to wait a little longer to make an international comeback. Speculations were rife that Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) is contemplating to request Cricket Australia (CA) to reconsider the sanctions imposed on the banned trio of Smith, Warner, and Bancroft. On Tuesday, CA Interim Chair’s reply to ACA have confirmed the fact that there was a request made, and the same was denied by the former.

CA Interim chair Chair Earl Eddings said the Australian Cricket Board gave a lot of thought on ACA’s submission and after considering all elements of it, they have decided not to make any changes to the sanctions (suspensions) handed down to Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft.

The official statement by Cricket Australia read, “The Cricket Australia Board has carefully considered all elements of the ACA submission and has determined that it is not appropriate to make any changes to the sanctions handed down to the three players.”

As per the official statement, it is clear that the suspension is here to stay. The CA has reiterated the fact that the original decision to impose sanctions on the players was taken after ‘rigorous discussion and consideration’. The Board said that the trio was working hard to display their commitment to cricket and had their continued support in ensuring smooth return.

However, the CA categorically denied any relaxation on the suspensions and made it clear that there would be no further calls of amendments on the same.

The statement read, “We believe the ongoing conversation about reducing the sanctions puts undue pressure on the three players – all of whom accepted the sanctions earlier this year - and the Australian men’s cricket team. As such, the Cricket Australia Board doesn’t intend to consider further calls for amendments to the sanctions.”

It further added, “Though we recognise that this decision will be disappointing for the ACA, we thank them for their submission.  Our commitment to continue building a strong relationship between CA and the ACA in the interests of cricket in Australia remains, and we look forward to meeting with them shortly to that end.”

Read the full statement by Cricket Australia on the banned trio of David Warner, Steve Smith, and Cameron Bancroft:

The following announcement would mean that Steve Smith and David Warner will have to wait till the end of March 2019 to make their international comeback, while Cameron Bancroft will have to wait till the end of December.

It also means that the speculations (or say hopes) of David Warner and Steve Smith participating in the T20I, Test, and ODI series against India, starting next week, have been doused.

Australia, on the other hand, has witnessed one of the worst periods in their cricket history since the ball-tampering scandal surfaced in Newlands, earlier this year. Since then, the team has played in 21 international matches, across all the three formats; however, they have managed to win in only five of them.

It will be interesting to see how the ACA responds to the ruling, if at all they do. For now, India vs Australia T20I series is set to begin in the next 24 hours, and the fans’ excitement levels are quite high! Stay tuned with us for all the latest updates on India vs Australia 2018-19 Series!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 20, 2018 10:06 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).