Smith faces $4m beating

SUSPENDED captain Steve Smith is facing a $4 million wipe-out as the fallout from cricket’s ball-tampering crisis.

David Warner could be staring at a similar financial blow, with reports emerging that the vice-captain and coach Darren Lehmann were central figures in the cheating plot. They are also likely to lose their positions.

Cricket Australia’s major sponsorships could also take a hit as investigators, including CA’s head of integrity Iain Roy, landed in Cape Town yesterday to grill the team.

A swift resolution was expected to ensure the stink around the sport didn’t linger and the growing call was for Smith to be axed as captain, Warner to also be demoted and Lehmann fired.

Playing suspensions are also among the potential fallout for Smith and Warner, with the prospect they could miss out on the top-end CA contracts they have enjoyed.

Those deals are worth more than $2 million a season, and it’s understood there would be significant anger among playing ranks if the ringleaders in the greatest scandal to hit Australian cricket were rewarded with lucrative deals, especially if suspended from playing.

Smith and Warner may be able to return as players, but it could be on significantly reduced contracts. The list of CA contracted players is normally confirmed in April or May.

It’s understood 17 of the 20 contract offers have been locked in, including Smith, Warner and Cameron Bancroft, who is also looking at a penalty for his involvement.

The capacity for Smith and Warner to join their Indian Premier League franchises in April, where they have locked in deals worth $2.4 million each, could also be in jeopardy.

CA has to sign a “no objection” certificate for them to play in the lucrative competition, as it is sanctioned by the International Cricket Council. They could face a fight to get clearance to do so. Unconfirmed reports suggest Smith has been dumped as captain by the Rajasthan Royals.

The captain and his deputy may also face fallout from their personal sponsors — for Smith that includes New Balance and Sanitarium, and for Warner LG and Gray-Nicolls. Major sponsors have also been contacted by CA to assure them the matter was being treated with the utmost seriousness.

While concerned, none of the commercial partners listed on the CA website — including Commonwealth Bank, Qantas and Bupa — have withdrawn support. The biggest sponsor, Magellan Financial Group, expects a “robust response”.