After Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) has recently raised their voice to withdraw the suspension of Steven Smith, David Warmer and Cameron Bancroft, Cricket Australia (CA) is looking to reconsider the bans, according to some reports. However, the former Australian high-profile head coach John Buchanan wants the bans should remain intact to set benchmarks of standards and expected behaviours from its players.

Due to their involvement in ball-tampering incident in the Cape Town Test in last March, Smith and Warner were handed a 12-month suspension while Bancroft got a nine-month suspension from CA. While Bancroft can return to the cricket very soon, Smith and Warner will have to wait three more months.

While the recent reports claim that CA is reconsidering the bans, Buchanan told Mumbai Mirror on Wednesday, “No, CA was correct in the penalties handed down. The ICC need to revise their assessment of ball tampering to bring it into line with CA or make it even harsher.

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“The bans on all players must remain if the CA and the Australian Cricket team are to set benchmarks of standards and expected behaviours from its players. All personnel involved with Australian cricket (CA and ACA) must deliver on Integrity – do what you say you are going to do. The ethics reports have given Australian cricket some guidance on what this should be. It is up to administrators, coaches and players to deliver.”

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While the ACA president Greg Dyer and CEO Alistair Nicholson are continuously fighting to lift the bans of the trio, Buchanan believes ACA has demonstrated poor leadership and it is the golden opportunity for CA to make a brighter future for Australian cricket.

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Buchanan added, “The ACA (players association) has demonstrated poor leadership throughout the ‘sandpaper’ crisis and have continued to demonstrate a distinct lack of understanding of the seriousness of what occurred in South Africa by continuing to demand the penalties imposed on Smith, Warner and Bancroft be reduced.

“CA has a golden opportunity for change and a quick change at that. I think the prospects for the future of Australian cricket are very bright, although in the short term there will still be some pain.”