Photo Credit: Sydney Sixers
The Sydney Sixers today appeared before Cricket Australia’s Senior Conduct Commissioner, Alan Sullivan QC, after self-reporting an administrative error during Saturday’s WBBL match against the Melbourne Renegades.
The issue concerned Hayley Silver-Holmes, who was returning from injury, and the fact her paperwork was not lodged before the match started, rendering her ineligible for selection in the match.
Upon realising the error, the Sixers notified WBBL officials and removed Silver-Holmes from the match. Silver-Holmes did not bat nor take the field for the Renegades’ run-chase.
In hearing the matter, Mr Sullivan acknowledged the seriousness of the breach, but also acknowledged the fact the Sixers had self-reported and moved swiftly to remove Silver-Holmes from the match after realising the error.
Having considered submissions of both parties, Mr Sullivan imposed a sanction of a $25,000 fine, of which $15,000 was suspended for 12 months.
The maximum penalty of $50,000 and/or further sanctions were not deemed appropriate given the nature of the breach and the fact Sixers lost the match and suffered an adverse Net Run Rate.
Sean Carroll, CA’s Head of Integrity and Security, said:
“Cricket Australia places a significant emphasis on the integrity of all competitions, including the compliance with its player contracting rules and regulations.
“This breach by the Sydney Sixers, while serious in nature, had a reduced impact due to the Club’s actions during last night’s game.
“As such, we support the findings of Alan Sullivan QC, including the suspension of $15,000 of the $25,000 fine imposed.”
Alistair Dobson, CA’s Head of Big Bash Leagues, said:
“We commend the Sydney Sixers for their swift action and cooperation in addressing this error.
“In particular, we echo Alan Sullivan QC’s praise for the Sixers’ self-reporting and actions undertaken to minimise the impact of the breach on last night’s match.”
Jodie Hawkins, Sydney Sixers’ General Manager, said:
“We made a regrettable administrative error for which there are understandably stringent rules.
“We were given a fair opportunity to present our case in the hearing and accept the findings and sanction.
“As a club we will learn from this and put processes in place for the future.”
