'They deserve a second chance': Clarke on why Smith warrants redemption

Former captain Michael Clarke has claimed Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft all deserve their “second chance” at cricketing redemption following their lengthy bans.

Clarke appeared on ABC’s Brush with Fame and spoke about what the Australian public expect from their athletes.

The Australian great said while it was “blatant cheating”, their punishment was “extreme”.

But also suggested the sandpaper scandal from South Africa will hang over their heads for the remainder of their career.

“I think as an athlete, particularly in Australia, you can get away with a lot of things,” Clarke said during the show.

“You can’t get away with cheating. And not blatant cheating like that. Like any cheating, but blatant cheating like that. I think those three players (Smith, Warner and Cameron Bancroft) will live with that forever — and that’s a scar that will never disappear.

“In the same breath, I think their punishment is extreme, and I definitely believe they deserve a second chance.”

Clarke said he couldn’t put himself in Smith’s shoes, but using sandpaper to win a game was never acceptable.

”You get to a stage where you feel you’ve got to take sandpaper to win a game of cricket you’re in deep s***,” he said.

Both David Warner and Steve Smith have been included in the ODI World Cup squad to travel to England to defend the trophy.