How cricket world reacted…
“It’s been a bizarre, strange and absolutely horrible 24 hours. I’d like to apologise to our fans… they deserve better.”
TIM PAINE, Australia’s stand-in captain
”Shocked and bitterly disappointed. It seemed completely beyond belief that the Australian cricket team had been involved in cheating. Our cricketers are role models and cricket is synonymous with fair play. How can our team be engaged in cheating like this? It beggars belief.”
MALCOLM TURNBULL, Prime Minister of Australia
“It’s a terrible day for Australian cricket. I can’t believe the leadership group got a young kid playing in his eighth Test to do this.”
MICHAEL CLARKE, former captain
“Australian cricket is the laughing stock of the sporting world. I’m stunned and shocked, embarrassed and sad. We have been all
really badly let down here. It’s not bending the spirit of the game, it’s going outside the laws.”
ADAM GILCHRIST, left, Australia legend
“Disappointed in Steve Smith as captain to go out there and do that. It was un-Australian. I don’t care who you are, you can’t tamper with the ball. There’s nothing you can say to defend what Smith did.”
SHANE WARNE, right, Australia legend
“They’ve set themselves as setting the benchmark for what is right and wrong in cricket – everyone who’s played against them know that’s an absolute joke!”
GRAEME SWANN, left, ex-England spinner
“I’m shocked at what’s gone on. I’ve never seen anything as blatant as that.”
OTTIS GIBSON, South Africa coach
“The leaderships group’s jobs are
untenable. They’ve disgraced a great cricketing nation and Test cricket.”
KEVIN PIETERSEN, ex-England batsman
“I’m trying to picture being in the European team room before the last day in Chicago 2012 and me or another established player saying… ‘Right lads, we’re well behind, shall we cheat?’ Shocking.”
LEE WESTWOOD, Ryder Cup golfer
“It’s the saddest and most unbelievable cricket crisis ever. Smith and Warner should never be allowed to play again. Like match-fixing, ball tampering is a cancer and those caught must be completely cut out.”
HENRY BLOFELD, Ex-TMS Pundit
“They were caught red-handed. They had to admit it after that. They are only upset because they were caught – trust me, they have done it plenty of times.”
PAUL HARRIS, ex-South Africa spinner