David Warner joins Steve Smith, accepts Cricket Australia penalties

David Warner has followed the path of former Australia captain Steve Smith in accepting the 12-month ban handed to them by Cricket Australia (CA). It was initially reported that Warner would appeal CA's sanctions over the ball-tampering scandal.

Besides Warner and Smith, opening batsman Cameron Bancroft was also dealt with a nine-month suspension. Bancroft, too, won't challenge the sanction. The trio was punished for bringing the game into disrepute during the controversial Cape Town Test against South Africa last month.

Warner, revealed to be the mastermind of the ball-tampering plot, is effectively banned from captaining Australia for the rest of his career. Smith, however, will be allowed to assume a leadership role upon serving his suspension.

This opens the doors for all three players to re-join the team for next year's Cricket World Cup in England, which gets underway on May 19, 2019.

David Warner won't appeal CA sanctions

Warner confirmed his decision via Twitter on Thursday. “I have today let Cricket Australia know that I fully accept the sanctions imposed on me. I am truly sorry for my actions and will now do everything I can to be a better person, teammate and role model,” Warner tweeted.

After Warner broke down in tears during an emotional media conference last Saturday, the former vice-captain noted that he was mulling his decision whether to appeal Cricket Australia's sanctions.

Smith, however, was clear from the onset that he had no intention to appeal his ban. “I would give anything to have this behind me and be back representing my country. But I meant what I said about taking full responsibility as Captain of the team. I won’t be challenging the sanctions. They’ve been imposed by CA to send a strong message and I have accepted them," the axed Australian captain said via a tweet a day earlier.

According to several reports, the banned trio could be headed to England to play in the club circuit. Their bans preclude them from partaking in first-class competitions such as the Sheffield Shield or lucrative Twenty20 tournaments such as the Big Bash League and Indian Premier League (IPL).