CA hands down Faulkner sanction

James Faulkner, man of the match in Australia’s World Cup triumph earlier this year, will miss the upcoming ODI tour of the British Isles as punishment for being charged with drink-driving in England.

Faulkner, who was charged with being almost three times over the legal limit by the Greater Manchester Police and will face court later this month, has been banned for three one-day internationals and a T20 international by Cricket Australia.

He returned a reading of 100 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, with the legal limit in the UK being 35mg.

The 25-year-old faced sanctions under CA’s Code for Conduct for “conduct that is unbecoming of a representative” which was deemed to be a Level Three violation under the code.

Faulkner, who is in the UK playing for county team Lancashire and is not part of the current 17-man Ashes touring party, was offered, and accepted the punishment rather than undergo a formal hearing before CA’s Code of Behaviour Commissioner.

He was reprimanded for his behaviour, and will undergo an alcohol management counselling program as determined by CA’s Chief Medical Officer as well as pay for any damage to property caused as a result of actions while drunk-driving.

Faulkner received four suspension points which equates to four limited-overs fixtures that he was likely to have won selection for, and was therefore banned from upcoming ODIs against Ireland and England as well as a T20 international against England scheduled for August 31.

Given the limited-overs component of Australia’s Qantas Tour of the British Isles comprises six ODIs (with one against Ireland) and a T20, Faulkner will not be considered for the touring squad that will be announced next month.

However, should a player be injured during the series and a replacement required once he has served his suspension, the all-rounder will be considered as a ‘top-up’ player.

“James has acknowledged the seriousness of his actions and has accepted the penalties handed down today,” Cricket Australia Executive General Manager of Team Performance Pat Howard said.

“He has cooperated fully with the disciplinary procedure and is deeply remorseful.

“We have reminded James that his actions had serious potential to cause harm to him and others.

“Aside from the suspension handed down, he has been formally reprimanded for his behaviour.

“In saying that, we do acknowledge that James has been a player with a good track record and we would like to think that this episode is very much out of character.”

Cricket Australia has also expressed its disappointment with former Test wicketkeeper and Faulkner’s Tasmania teammate Tim Paine who was with the all-rounder on the night and allegedly in the vehicle when Faulkner was apprehended.

Paine, who is playing league cricket in England with Banbury, has also been spoken to by CA officials about responsible decision making.

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