No good reason for Cricket Australia to prevent Warner and Smith from playing domestically, says Dean Jones
Former Australian batsman Dean Jones has slammed Cricket Australia for keeping David Warner and Steve Smith from playing domestic matches. The duo were handed bans from domestic and international cricket of a year each by CA after the Sandpaper Gate incident in March earlier this year.
There were reports that the board is contemplating a relaxation in the bans of both Warner and Smith. The speculations added that the duo might be allowed to play in Sheffield Shield, Australia's domestic first-class tournament, to keep them ready for the ODI World Cup next year.
These were then dismissed by a CA official who said, "At no stage have we, or are we considering lessening the current sanctions." Jones, though, believes Warner and Smith should be allowed to play in Sheffield Shield and the BBL.
“There’s absolutely no good reason for Cricket Australia to prevent them playing domestically,” Jones told Wide World of Sports.
“The Sheffield Shield competition needs all the help it can get. The BBL does as well. I’m over here in Canada for the Global T20 at the moment and I’ve seen what a boost it’s been to have Smith and Warner here.
“It would be madness to leave them sitting on the sidelines all summer. Imagine the positive impact their presence would have on all the young kids watching.”
Jones, who featured in 164 ODIs and 52 Test matches for Australia, went on to add that the presence of Warner and Smith would help the youngsters in improving their game as well.
“When I played, runs against the likes of Craig McDermott, Bruce Reid, Carl Rackemann and Terry Alderman were looked at favourably.
“Wouldn’t it be great to test our up-and-coming players against the best in the world, and for our young batsmen to see how the number one batsman in the world goes about things?”