Warne said the former Australia captain is a “good person” who made a “silly mistake” for his part in the affair, for which he, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft received lengthy bans.

“I will say this about Steve Smith as captain of the side,” Warne told ABC television during the promotion of his new book No Spin. “Steve Smith is a good person. He made a silly mistake, an error in judgment. I think in this country we’re too quick to hang people and just nail them.

“We cry out for characters but then we cut people off so quickly. And Steve Smith, to me, is a good guy. He’s a wonderful captain, he’s a great player. He just made a silly mistake and I don’t think the punishment fitted the crime.

“A 12-month ban for that? It equated to about an $8-10 million fine. I thought they were very, very, very hard done by and it was a very harsh penalty.”

The great leg-spinner did acknowledge the damage done by events in Cape Town to perceptions of cricket in his homeland.

“I think we’re struggling. Pretty ordinary at the moment, Australian cricket,” he said.

“To me, I think Cricket Australia is devaluing Shield cricket. I don’t think there are enough first-class cricketers getting into school cricket and inspiring people and talking to young boys and girls to say ‘cricket’s a great game and this is why’, teaching them techniques.

“I’d like to see first-class cricketers getting down to schools, I’d like to see them playing club cricket. I’d like to see international players playing domestic Shield cricket — and playing because they love it and they want to give something back to the game.

“I know it’s hard but they’ve got to do it. They just have to do it for the longevity and successfulness of Test cricket in Australia and that Australian cricket remains strong.”