O op lengthy bans over ball-tampering scandal

during the bans, but will be permitted to play grade cricket.

The punishments effectively mean Smith’s next game for Australia will almost certainly be a warm-up game for next year’s World Cup in England, which is followed by an away Ashes campaign. The World Cup starts at the end of May. Warner, who has fallen out with teammates over the balltampering saga, may potentially have played his last game for Australia. It is unclear if the former vice-captain will be welcome back in the dressing room.

According to AP, Smith broke the news to some teammates in the lobby shortly after meeting with Sutherland.

Matthew Renshaw, Joe Burns and Glenn Maxwell were called up as replacements.

Smith and Warner had also already stood down from their respective roles as captains with their Indian Premier League squads, and Smith will reportedly not play any part in the IPL.

Earlier yesterday, electronics company LG also confirmed they were cutting all ties with Warner.

“LG’s current sponsorship of David Warner is in the final weeks, and in light

Disgraced Aussie captain Steve Smith has packed his bags after copping a 12-month ban.

of recent events we have decided not to renew our partnership” they said.

Adding insult to injury, Smith’s twoyear reign as the world’s No 1 test batsman looks set to end, with Indian rival Virat Kohli primed to overtake the disgraced Australian.

Tim Paine will take over as Australian captain, and Smith, wearing a white T-shirt and dark baseball cap, hugged Paine as he prepared to leave the team hotel in Johannesburg to fly home last night.

Smith was due to hold a media conference when he landed in Sydney, while the players have the option to challenge the verdict.

News.com.au reported yesterday several the Aussie stars are on the brink of “breaking apart” and want the fourth test against South Africa, starting tomorrow, abandoned.

The Aussie dressing room has been ripped apart with the bad blood between Warner and his teammates “impossible for the Aussie cricket team to overcome”.

According to the Brisbane CourierMail writer Robert Craddock, the anger from Aussie cricketers towards Warner is a response to testimony the star opener reportedly gave CA’s integrity unit investigators which claimed the bowling unit of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon were aware of the tampering plot.

Craddock told Fox Sports’ The Back Page on Tuesday night members in the Aussie dressing room also suspect Warner was behind a Channel 9 story which claimed the Aussie bowlers were in on the plan for Bancroft to rough up the ball using tape and sand hidden in his pockets.

Warner also left the Australian cricket team’s WhatsApp group message thread yesterday.

Craddock named Starc as one of the players who is privately fuming at Warner’s behaviour since Bancroft was busted by South African television footage trying to hide yellow tape down his pants. “They are blistering to the point where I understand that one of the bowlers was thinking of approaching team management and saying, ‘get him off the tour’,” Craddock told Fox Sports. “It’s a major blow-up. They aren’t on talking terms.”

Former test player Gavin Robertson told Fox Sports News the morale within the dressing room is so bad, players want to leave the tour.

“They are going to break apart in the next couple days,” he told Fox Sports. — Additional reporting, AAP, news.com.au