Former Australia batsman Stuart Law on Wednesday said that banned cricketers Steve Smith and David Warner will have learned a lot from playing club cricket while spending time away from international cricket.
Steve Smith and David Warner are serving a 12-month ban for ball tampering. (File)
Former Australia batsman Stuart Law on Wednesday said that banned cricketers Steve Smith and David Warner will have learned a lot from playing club cricket while spending time away from international cricket. Smith and Warner were handed a 12-month ban from international cricket for their roles in the ball tampering controversy in March last year. But the bans were not extended to the club games and Smith returned to play for Sutherland, while Warner featured for Randwick-Petersham last year.
Speaking to news agency AFP, Law said, “I think David Warner and Steve Smith playing club cricket this (Australian) summer has not only given them an idea of what life is really about, but it’s also helping the young kids they have been playing with now to improve.”
He further added that both the batsmen are still regarded as class players all across the country despite the ban. “They are still very much looked up to in Australia as cricketers and they are two very fine players.”
In the absence of the two star players, Australia have dropped down to fifth in the World Test rankings. Speaking on the state of the cricket in the country, the former West Indies coach said, “Australia definitely have got the talent, I think we’ve just lost track of what’s important.”
“When I first started playing grade cricket in Brisbane, as a 15-year-old (I was) sharing a dressing room with (Australia batsmen) Allan Border, Greg Ritchie, Kepler Wessels — that doesn’t happen much anymore, the Test players don’t really play club cricket. Once they are away from international duties, they are wrapped up in cotton wool and put away,” he added.
