Sack looms for disgraced leader group
AUSTRALIAN captain Steve Smith last night fell on his sword and stood down from his position after cheating admissions plunged the sport into crisis.
Smith and vice-captain Dave Warner removed themselves from their roles after a day of condemnation, a flurry of calls for the captain to be sacked, and conversations with Cricket Australia senior officials.
The pair, along with coach Darren Lehmann, could all be dumped full-time as soon as tomorrow after CA launched an investigation in the ball-tampering incident which even rocked the Prime Minister.
Having failed to talk to Smith in the immediate aftermath of the revelations, CA boss James Sutherland reached out to the captain before play and it was decided both he and Warner should stand down, for this match, in the interests of the game.
Wicket keeper Tim Paine was elevated to the top job while Smith and Warner were forced to take the field in Cape Town and play out the third Test.
As the fallout from the scandal continued to escalate, former players called for Smith to be axed after he admitted ordering teammate Cameron Bancroft to tamper with the ball during day three of the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.
Malcolm Turnbull described the events as “a shocking disappointment” and made his position clear in a call to CA chairman David Peever that action was needed.
“How can our team be engaged in treating (cricket) like this? It beggars belief,” Mr Turnbull said.
“It’s wrong and I look forward to Cricket Australia taking decisive action soon.”
Distraught CA boss James Sutherland called it a “sad day for cricket” but said Smith would stay captain “for now” and continue to lead the Aussies in South Africa with two days of the third Test to go.
He dispatched CA’s head of integrity Iain Roy and high performance manager Pat Howard to South Africa to investigate the actions of the Australian skipper and the team leadership, including coach Darren Lehmann.
Despite overwhelming video evidence catching Bancroft with a yellow piece of tape in his hand, which he used to pick up debris from the pitch and then rub on the ball, plus Smith’s admission he came up with the plan, Sutherland refused to impose immediate sanctions, which was within his power.
Sutherland contacted Australian team manager Gavin Dovey in Cape Town after he was made aware of the incident early on Sunday morning.
But he didn’t speak to either Smith or Lehmann. Board members were kept informed of what was happening, but no emergency meetings were called to address the situation.
Instead Sutherland, amid a public outcry for Smith to be sacked and similar calls from former players including Adam Gilchrist and Simon Katich, said CA would not move until the investigation is complete.
That should be done as soon as tomorrow morning, after which Sutherland and the board can act.
“We are extremely disappointed and shocked at what we woke up to this morning, and we are dealing with this issue with the utmost urgency and seriousness,” Mr Sutherland said
“We need someone to go over there and talk to the relevant people involved to understand what happened and the detail, and then we’ll make appropriate decisions as to next step. I’m not happy about this at all.”
Smith said he and his leadership group, which includes vicecaptain David Warner and usually extends to bowlers Nathan Lyon, Mitch Starc and Josh Hazlewood, came up with the plan out of “desperation”.
The chairman of the Australian Sports Commission, John Wylie and Chief executive Kate Palmer also called for Smith to be stood down during the investigation.
“The ASC expects and requires that Australian teams and athletes demonstrate unimpeachable integrity in representing our country,” the officials said.