Sam Fanning’s suspension for pitch tampering means he won’t be able to open the new season.

Western Australia batter Sam Fanning won’t be able to be selected for a state team early in the following season because he was banned from Premier Cricket for pitch manipulation.

Following the WA Premier Cricket final between Perth CC and Bayswater-Morley CC last Saturday at Lilac Hill, Sam Fanning, 22, was found guilty and given a four-game suspension.

After the first day of play, during which he scored 123 from 197 balls and was later named Player of the Match, footage showed Fanning scraping his spikes on the protected area of the field.

“All contracted players must adhere to high norms of conduct both on and off the field, according to WA Cricket. We were disappointed to hear about Sam’s incident because it did not align with our values. “Kade Harvey, general manager of high performance for WA Cricket, made the statement.

“In addition to the punishment, we will work with Sam Fanning to create a plan for his education and development that will help him live up to our principles and make better choices in the future.”

During the 2022–23 season, when Western Australia won back-to-back championships, Fanning, who had previously played Australia Under-19s, made his Sheffield Shield debut. At the SCG, he scored 61 against New South Wales, the only half-century of the game in a low-scoring contest on a turning track.

At the WACA, he had also amassed a half-century against India in a T20 World Cup practice encounter.