Watson, Bailey in panel to draft charter of behaviour
Former Test players Shane Watson and George Bailey will join Australia captains Tim Paine and Rachael Haynes on a panel tasked with drafting a charter of behaviour in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa, Cricket Australia said on Tuesday.
The player review, to be overseen by former Test opener Rick McCosker, would also include fast bowler Pat Cummins and Darren Lehmann’s replacement as coach of the men’s team, CA said.
The team’s culture has been under the microscope since batsman Cameron Bancroft was spotted by cameras trying to scuff up the ball with a piece of sandpaper during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.
The scandal saw then-captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner banned for a year, with Bancroft suspended for nine months.
Lehmann, who was appointed in 2013, was cleared of wrongdoing by CA but resigned as coach in March more than 12 months before his contract was up.
CA have also appointed Dr Simon Longstaff, executive director of the Sydney-based Ethics Centre, to lead a separate independent review into the governing body.
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The Ethics Centre led a review into the culture at the Australian Olympic Committee last year after multiple allegations of bullying rocked the organisation.
“We understand and share the disappointment of fans and the broader Australian community about these events (in South Africa),” CA chairman David Peever said in a statement.
“The reviews will commence immediately, and we fully anticipate being able to begin implementing findings before the start of the 2018-19 cricket season.”
The Australian Cricketers’ Association, which fought a bitter campaign with CA over pay deal for players last year, said it welcomed an investigation into CA’s culture and governance.
CA chairman James Sutherland said that David Warner can still make a comeback to the side. “I think everyone deserves their chance and their own personal redemption story is very much in their own hands now,” Sutherland said on Melbourne radio station SEN.
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