SMITH’S SHAME
Cheating scandal puts Smith’s future in doubt
FURIOUS Cricket Australia officials have warned they are likely to pull players out of the Sheffield Shield final to cover what could be a raft of Test match suspensions in South Africa.
Queensland have been told that they could lose players including Matt Renshaw or Joe Burns – maybe both – when the axe falls in South Africa in the next few days.
Cricket Australia boss Pat Howard was on his way to South Africa last night to get the full story behind Australia’s shameful ball-tampering tactics on day three of the Cape Town Test.
Opener Cameron Bancroft, the man charged with attempting the low act, is believed to have accepted a one-Test ban which will rule him out of the fourth Test in Johannesburg and now places his future as a Test player under a dark cloud.
The most severe punishment option would appear to be suspending all members of the leadership group who, according to disgraced captain Steve Smith (right), sanctioned the decision.
That would see Smith, Nathan Lyon, David Warner, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc banned. Smith and Warner have already stood themselves down from leadership duties for the remainder of the Cape Town Test. Wicketkeeper Tim Paine will skipper the team for the final two days.
If Bancroft is the only player missing, Shaun Marsh is likely to be promoted to opener and Peter Handscomb included in the middle order.
STEVE Smith’s future as Australian Test captain hangs in the balance with Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland refusing to guarantee his position in light of the Cape Town ball-tampering saga.
Smith and vice-captain David Warner have stood down from their leadership roles for the remainder of the third Test in Cape Town. Wicketkeeper Tim Paine will skipper the team for the final two days of the match.
Smith’s fate is one of several major questions which remain unanswered after the shocking revelations of the illegal practice on day three of the third Test against South Africa.
Sutherland confirmed yesterday that no action had been taken against Smith, who admitted he had authorised Cameron Bancroft using tape to interfere with the ball in a bid to create reverse swing.
CA has instead opted to send its head of integrity to South Africa to investigate the cheating scandal before the fate of Smith, Bancroft and several others involved is determined.
Quizzed repeatedly on whether Smith should remain as captain, Sutherland was noncommittal but said he was “shocked and extremely disappointed” by the revelations.
Sutherland was yesterday yet to speak to Smith but said the Australian skipper would be fully aware of his disappointment.
“He will know,” Sutherland told reporters in Melbourne.
“I have very strong and clear views about the responsibility of the Australian cricket team to play the game in the right spirit.
“I don’t think anyone will be under any illusions there within the team as to what I think about this.”
The decision to interfere with the ball was authorised by Australia’s leadership group, which has previously included Smith, David Warner, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon.
The incident seems certain to irreparably tarnish Smith’s otherwise squeaky-clean reputation and has led to former Test stars Adam Gilchrist and Simon Katich questioning his future as captain.
“I think when Cricket Australia front the media, they’ve got no option but to stand and then sack Smith, Warner and (Darren) Lehmann,” Katich said on SEN Radio.
“They’ve got no option because this was premeditated and calculated at the break and those guys are in charge of Cameron Bancroft behaving the way he did.
“It’s a bigger problem than that, he’s been instructed to do this and anyone in cricket knows the captain and coach are in control of what happens in the team.
“I love Steve Smith ... but unfortunately he’s made a serious error and I think it’s going to cost him the captaincy of Australia.
“If CA come out of this and condone sledging, they condone blatant cheating, then the message they send to the thousands of kids that they want to aspire to wear the baggy green is a far worse message than a few guys losing their jobs.”
Smith denied Lehmann had any role to play in the incident but Katich doubted that was true.
“The footage I’ve seen with Darren Lehmann on the walkie-talkie to Peter Handscomb down on the boundary line ... that to me indicates that he was clearly aware of what was going on,” Katich said.
Sutherland claimed CA needed a “clearer picture” of what had transpired before taking further action, despite Smith having admitted to what he called “a big mistake” from him and the leadership group.
CA integrity boss Iain Roy and head of high performance Pat Howard are due to arrive in Cape Town today.
“We are in the middle of the game right now and that game needs to conclude,” Sutherland said. “But over the course of the next couple of days we will get to the bottom of this and we will take appropriate action.”
I LOVE STEVE SMITH ... BUT UNFORTUNATELY HE’S MADE A SERIOUS ERROR AND I THINK IT’S GOING TO COST HIM THE CAPTAINCY SIMON KATICH