To aid the Cricket Australia (CA) independent review following the ball-tampering saga, the body will seek expertise from “qualified individuals, firms, sporting and other organisations” who may have conducted similar reviews, said David Peever, the CA chairman.
Speaking on Friday 6 April, Peever also announced a “separate player driven process”, to be headed by Rick McCosker, the former opening batsman, with the end objective of setting a “charter that sets out standards of behaviour and expectations of Australian men’s teams”.
“It is anticipated that this process will include assessments as to whether changes to codes and standards governing player conduct are required,” said Peever. “The outcomes from this process will form a reference points for the independent review.”
Peever said that McCosker will “advise on the most appropriate procedures to guide his work”.
McCosker, who played 25 Tests for Australia between 1975 and 1980, is expected to be joined by two former players and two active players on the panel.
The ball-tampering incident resulted in all of Steve Smith, David Warner, the captain and vice-captain respectively, and Cameron Bancroft being banned after the latter was caught on camera using what was later confirmed to be sandpaper on the ball during Australia’s third Test in Cape Town.
The fallout from the incident prompted CA to initiate an independent review into the culture in their team, and Peever admitted the process could take longer than expected.
“The board is committed to the review being completed as expeditiously as possible, but we are also committed to getting it right,” he said. “We will therefore take whatever time is necessary to ensure we fully understand the expertise required to conduct such a review, and the procedures it should follow.
“Further details will be announced as soon as possible once we have worked carefully through this process.”
Peever also revealed that after the completion of the review, recommendations will be made to the CA board.
“Australian cricketers are role models for our young people and ambassadors for our country,” he added. “Cricket fans and the Australian public rightly have high expectations regarding the standards of behaviour of our national teams. The independent review will provide an important foundation for ensuring these expectations are met.”