Lehmann, Smith face ax in cheating scam

AUSTRALIA coach Darren Lehmann and skipper Steve Smith faced the ax yesterday with cricket chiefs holding crisis talks in South Africa to deal with an escalating cheating scandal.

Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland, under mounting pressure to come down hard on what Australian media has dubbed a “rotten” team culture, has arrived in Johannesburg and is expected to give a press conference later in the day.

Sutherland is holding talks with CA’s head of integrity, Iain Roy, who is probing the balltampering scandal during the third test match against South Africa on Saturday.

Reports say they could ban both Smith and vice captain David Warner for 12 months and send them home in disgrace.

That would leave some spots in the team open and Queensland opener Matthew Renshaw is flying to Johannesburg to join the beleaguered test squad.

Smith has already been banned for one test and docked his entire match fee by the International Cricket Council for his role in a plot that saw teammate Cameron Bancroft use a piece of grit-encrusted sticky tape to change the condition of the ball.

It means Smith will miss the 4th and final test in Johannesburg starting on Friday.

Lehmann has remained silent, but Britain’s Daily Telegraph said he had decided to quit.

Lehmann took over as coach in 2013 when predecessor Mickey Arthur was sacked, with Justin Langer considered a frontrunner as his replacement.

“We understand the strong interest everyone has in this situation and we are following due process to properly address all of the relevant issues involved,” Sunderland said in an email.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said yesterday that it had been “a shocking affront to Australia” and CA must act “decisively and emphatically”.

Former Australian coach John Buchanan, who led the team from 1999 to 2007, said Smith must resign as captain and urged cricket chiefs to be fully transparent in their investigation.

“It is a very difficult time for members of Australian cricket; however, I believe there is a golden opportunity to reset the dial around player and staff behaviors, actions and decisionmaking,” he told reporters.

There has been a national outcry over Smith’s admission that the “leadership group” within the team decided to cheat.

That group of players usually includes fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, but they are reportedly furious at being embroiled in the saga.

The ramifications of the scandal have been far-reaching with the Marylebone Cricket Club, the guardian of the laws of the game, calling for a “major shift in attitude” to preserve the game for future generations.

Former South African captain Graeme Smith has hit out at the ICC’s handling of the scandal, saying it had “missed an opportunity to really handle this properly and lead our game”.

“They haven’t done that. You have had two players, who have admitted guilt for cheating. I think that’s huge.”