LOCAL REACTION
A DISGUSTED Simon Katich believes Cricket Australia (CA) has “no option” but to sack skipper Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and coach Darren Lehmann for allowing ball-tampering to occur.
Former Test batsman Katich said he was “sick to his stomach” when he woke up to the news from South Africa yesterday morning.
Smith and Warner last night stood down from their roles for the rest of the third Test, with keeper Tim Paine taking over as interim leader.
Smith said he would not consider standing down permanently despite admitting it was an orchestrated plan and CA CEO James Sutherland indicated the governing body needed to “gather relevant information” before making any calls on the future of those involved.
Speaking before Sutherland’s press conference, Katich, who played 56 Tests for Australia between 2001 and 2010, said must act faster.
“I think when Cricket Australia front the media, they’ve got no option but to stand and then sack Smith, Warner and 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 trying to get a warning out to Cameron Bancroft that they were all over him ... that to me indicates that he was clearly aware of what was going on,” Katich said.