Three Players Banned Over Cricket Ball-Tampering; North and South Korea Officials Set Summit Date
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: With a year to go before Brexit becomes a reality, these campaigners are trying to change people's minds about the impending divorce. We'll go inside one of their strategy sessions later this hour. Well, hello, and welcome. I'm Becky Anderson. This is CONNECT THE WORLD from our Abu Dhabi studios, just after 7:00 in the evening here. There is new upheaval for Australia's cricket team. Cricket considered a gentleman's game but a cheating scandal involving Australia has exposed an ugly side of the sport. Now, five days in, the head coach says he is stepping down. Darryl Lehmann says he'll leave after tomorrow's test match against South Africa. Lehmann hasn't been named in the scandal, but he said ultimately, he is responsible for the team culture and this is the right time, he said, to step away. Well, meantime, the three players banned over tampering with the ball have arrived back in Australia. Let's kick this off with CNN's Andrew Stevens who has more on what was their emotional return.</s>ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ASIA PACIFIC EDITOR (voice-over): Australia's champion cricket captain is not used to this sort of homecoming.</s>STEVE SMITH, FORMER CRICKET AUSTRALIA CAPTAIN: It's devastating and I'm truly sorry.</s>STEVENS: Steve Smith, ranked the best batsman in the world, now ban furry year for cheating. On Thursday, he faced the media and a cricket mad nation that prides itself on winning fair.</s>SMITH: Cricket is the greatest game in the world. It's been my life, and I hope it can be again. I'm sorry, and I'm absolutely devastated.</s>STEVENS: Starring at defeat against South Africa in Cape Town, cameras caught Cameron Bancroft purposely damaging the ball in a way that would make it more difficult for the opposition batsman to hit. Cricket Australia investigators say vice-captain David Warner was the architect of the plan and it was Warner who convinced Bancroft to tamper with the ball. It was on Smith's watch. He and Warner have been hit with one-year bans, up and coming young player Bancroft won't play for nine months.</s>CAMERON BANCROFT, BANNED CRICKET PLAYER: Not a second has gone by since last Saturday evening when I haven't wished to turn back time and do the right thing during the lunch break. It is something I will regret for the rest of my life.</s>STEVENS: The cheating ploy was unlikely to change the final outcome of the match, but it's deeply affected an Australian public that had put the players on a pedestal.</s>KEVIN RUDD, FORMER AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: How on earth could Australians have done this? Because we're seen as a fair-minded people who believe in the principles of fair play. And that image has now been violated.</s>STEVENS: Major sponsors of cricket in Australia are now dumping a team that once could do wrong. Smith and Warner have lost their million-dollar contracts to play in India's domestic league. Instead, Cricket Australia says the players must return to play and support the game at its grassroots where they hope to earn back the respect of heartbroken cricket fans at home and around the world. Andrew Stevens, CNN.</s>ANDERSON: I want to do more on this with "WORLD SPORT's" Patrick Snell, who is today in Atlanta. Patrick, can these players regain their reputations as that report was suggesting they'd been asked effectively to do?</s>PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, it all starts now, doesn't it Becky, for these three. Though interestingly, we've not heard in term of a press conference from David Warner, but we certainly heard from an emotional Steve Smith there. We've heard from Cameron Bancroft as well. Just a little addendum for you, well, we already knew that Smith and Warner had lost their highly lucrative Indian private league contracts, which Andrew referenced in his piece. We now know that Cameron Bancroft has lost the opportunity to play for English County championship team Somerset. So, he's lost that deal. He will not be their overseas player. So, that's a huge blow to him at 25 years of age, still a player looking to make his mark in the game as a player with terrific talent. Remember Steve Smith is the world's leading batsman with over 6,000 test runs to his name. And over 23 test centuries as well. But boy did we see the emotions there. And a little nugget as well from what we didn't hear, he also spoke about and kind of gave an impassioned plea to kids in Australia. He said, look, when you're weighing up a serious decision in life which you know could go either way, just think of the impact it has on your parents. I thought that was really poignant as well. The rehabilitation process, Becky, starts right now. These players have been encouraged to give back to the game. They can only play at club level in Australia. They're not eligible for international competition. Never mind domestic professional cricket down under in Australia. They're only eligible to play at club level and get involved in the community, rehabilitate themselves and a year from now, in theory at least, they could all be playing again at the we shall see.</s>ANDERSON: Well, look, a cheating scandal in any sport, Patrick, is a big deal. It's a big story. Cricket is massive. The big competitions like the T20 World Cup can pull in half a billion viewers. What are the consequences for this team, do you think, but also for the game in general?</s>SNELL: The spotlight is on this team like never before. We're going to get the fourth test of the current series with the pro-tiers that we South African national cricket team. That one starts in Johannesburg on Friday. But as far as this trio is concerned, you know, they're the ones that have held up their hands and said, look, we are responsible for this. Steve Smith says the buck stops with him. It was only the team's leadership that knows. But broadening this out, I tell you what, the scrutiny on the international game is going to be like never before moving forward. There have been many, many people who have been very quick to condemn. Let's just see what happens moving forward. But I want to bring it back to the Australian head coach. I should now say the former Australian head coach, Darren Lehmann. He had said 24 hours ago he was not resigning. Earlier today, he changed his tune and he came out with this. Let's take a listen.</s>DARREN LEHMANN, AUSTRALIAN CRICKET TEAM COACH: As I've stated before, I had no prior knowledge of the incident and do not condone what happened at all, but good people can make mistakes. My family and I have had a lot of abuse over the last week and it's taken its toll on them. As many who sit in this road, you know life on the road means a lot of time away from our loved ones and after speaking at length over the last few days. This is the right time to step away.</s>SNELL: And Becky, let's just put a need bow on all this. This story has many legs to it. It seemingly developing with each and every passing hour, following every step of the way. A little earlier within the last couple of hours, the CEO of Cricket Australia, James Sutherland, called a hasty press conference, there was much speculation about that. But Sutherland coming out thinking Lehmann for his services and he would not, he Sutherland, would not be resigning. Back to you.</s>ANDERSON: Fascinating. Patrick, always a pleasure. Thank you. I want to get you to the Korean Peninsula now, viewers, where a remarkable meeting has laid the groundwork for what will be a very rare summit. Senior officials from North and South Korea shook hands today in neutral territory, holding talks in what is known as the demilitarized zone. They set a date for only the third summit ever between their respective countries. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet with the South Korean president on April 27th. The latest in Kim's high series of high-level talks. Let's bring in Ivan Watson he's following developments tonight from Seoul. And we have suggested that this is merely unique. Just how significant is what we are seeing? And what are the consequences? We know that there is dialogue potentially between the U.S. and North Korea. Where are we at with all of this?</s>IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've just had a summit between the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, and the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping. We now have a fixed date for a one-day summit between the North Korean leader and the South Korean president. That's April 27th. Again, along the demilitarized zone. And we know that President Trump has indicated that he's looking forward to a possible meeting with Kim Jong-un. And as of now, it looks like it might take place at some point in May. What we're seeing now is in relatively short order, Kim Jong-un going from being an international pariah with international sanctions being piled on to him to now potentially meeting with a head of state month after month, three months in a row, and the leaders of China and the U.S., the two most powerful countries in the world. It's a remarkable reversal, Becky. And on top of that, you have the Japanese now saying that they would like to explore the possibility of a summit between Kim Jong-un and the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. So, a remarkable transformation in where North Korea sits from just a few months ago to today where it looks like heads of state are lining up to get their chance to speak to the young dictator from Pyongyang -- Becky.</s>ANDERSON: Ivan Watson in Seoul for you, thank you.</s>ANDERSON: Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. Venezuela's head prosecutor says at least 68 people were killed in a prison fire west of Caracas. Family members demanded answers as they faced off with police in riot gear outside the jail. It is not known what caused the fire or how many of the dead were visitors. Protests have been called across Ireland after two international rugby players accused of rape walked free. 21-year-old woman says Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding assaulted her in Belfast two years ago, which they denied. The verdict has sparked an outcry in Ireland with thousands gathering in support of the victim in several cities. The U.S. city of Atlanta is still struggling to keep the local government running six days after a ransomware cyber-attack shut down the city's computer systems. Now the mayor says hackers are demanding $51,000 but wouldn't say whether the city will pay. Well, the daughter of a former Russian spy poisoned in a nerve agent attack is no longer in critical condition. Salisbury district hospital says Yulia Skripal had responded well to treatment. Now this news comes as Russia accused the U.K. of blocking access to Skripal and her father. Britain believes the pair were victims of an assassination attempt by Moscow. Meanwhile, British police now focusing on Skripal's home in their investigation. For more on all of this, Nima Elbagir, is with us from London. Good news from Salisbury for the Skripal family. We realize the importance of the Skripal house in the investigation. Now, can we, though, just start with what we know about the victims at this point?</s>NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me start with this welcome respite from the family. I want to read you the statement from Salisbury hospital. Doctor Christine Blanshard says that I'm pleased to be able to report an improvement in the condition of Yulia Skripal. She's responded well to treatment but continues to receive expert clinical care 24 hours a day. Yulia's father, Sergei, Becky, remains in a critical but stable condition and that is a far cry from what the Prime Minister Theresa May expected to happen. She had been led to believe that the Skripals may not ever recover from what they sustained. And as you say, this all comes as a clear focal point in this investigation has emerged. Authorities are focusing on the door. Many speculating it's actually the door handle that has become the locus of this investigation. That is where the highest concentration of this nerve agent has been found. And at least there is now a sense that perhaps how this nerve agent was administered can finally be unraveled. And that really will be welcome news for many of the residents in Salisbury who have been genuinely afraid, Becky, that this could be hiding around corners.</s>ANDERSON: All right. I thought we were just going to have a listen to some sound there. Nima thank you for that. Live from CNN's Middle East program, we have you all tune in to CONNECT THE WORLD. Ahead --</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was always telling us what to do. We want to make our own laws.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we are making our own laws.