Australia's cricket crisis
MELBOURNE: Australia captain Steve Smith and vicecaptain David Warner have stood down as leaders for the rest of the third test against South Africa over the balltampering bombshell, leaving Tim Paine to lead Australia in Cape Town on the fourth day.
Smith confessed after the third day that Australia’s leadership group authorised premeditated cheating at Newlands, wanting to use sticky tape in an illegal attempt to change the condition of the ball.
Smith’s longterm future as Australian test captain hangs in the balance with Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland refusing to make any guarantees.
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 no action had been taken against Smith, who admitted he had authorised opening batsman Cameron Bancroft, at 25 the most junior member of the team, to use 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 yet to speak to Smith but said the Australian skipper would be fully aware of his disappointment.
‘‘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 any under 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, Warner, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon.
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.
The CEO also avoided addressing Darren Lehmann’s future as coach, after Smith claimed the mentor had no idea what was being planned.
CA integrity boss Iain Roy and head of high performance Pat Howard are due to arrive in Cape Town today.
‘‘There is an element process that needs to be undertaken here . . . By appointing our head of integrity to this project, it is being dealt with as a matter of urgency and seriousness,’’ Sutherland said.
The Proteas reached 238 for five in their second innings at stumps yesterday, building a 294run lead to be in the box seat for victory.
BRISBANE: Adam Gilchrist has led a chorus of shock and outrage in response to Australia’s premeditated attempt to cheat in the third test against South Africa.
Veteran spinner Brad Hogg reckons a naive Cameron Bancroft has been ‘‘thrown under the bus’’ by team leaders.
Australia’s top sporting body has called for captain Steve Smith and any others involved to be stood down immediately.
Even Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has weighed in, calling for ‘‘decisive action’’ against the perpetrators.
‘‘After all our cricketers are role models and cricket is synonymous with fair play. How can our team be engaged in cheating like this?’’ Turnbull said.
Smith and his leadership group discussed the merits of using sticky tape to illegally alter the ball at lunch on day three of the contest in Cape Town.
Bancroft was then caught using the tape, which had debris from the pitch, while working on the ball.
The opener, who attempted to hide the tape from umpires, has been charged with ball tampering by the match referee.
Former test vicecaptain Gilchrist said he was ‘‘embarrassed’’ by the revelations.
‘‘Australian cricket now and the integrity of Australian cricket is the laughing stock of world sport,’’ he said on Network Ten.
‘‘We’re very quick to damn nations that cheat in any way or go beyond the rules.
‘‘This clearly is against the laws of the game and we’ve just had our national captain admit they sat down, premeditated, preplanned a way to cheat.’’
Hogg, who comes from the same Perth club as Bancroft and has known him since he was 13, pointed the finger of blame directly at Smith for leading the eighttest opener astray.
‘‘(Bancroft) wants to find his feet in that particular team,’’ Hogg said on Fox Sports News.
‘‘He’ll do anything, he’ll go through a brick wall for his teammates; especially for his leader.
‘‘I think he’s been thrown under the bus here.’’
Meanwhile, the Australian Sports Commission — the government agency responsible for distributing funding to sports — urged Cricket Australia to take urgent action.
‘‘The ASC condemns cheating of any form in sport,’’ it said in a statement, attributed to ASC chair John Wiley, his board and CEO Kate Palmer.
‘‘The Australian cricket team are iconic representatives of our country.
‘‘The example they set matters a great deal to Australia and to the thousands of young Australians playing or enjoying the sport of cricket and who look up to the national team as role models.
‘‘Given the admission by Australian captain Steve Smith, the ASC calls for him to be stood down immediately by Cricket Australia, along with any other members of the team leadership group or coaching staff who had prior awareness of, or involvement in, the plan to tamper with the ball.
‘‘This can occur while Cricket Australia completes a full investigation.’’