Shamed pair are set to pay the price

STEVE SMITH could lose the Australian captaincy permanently, as both he and vice-captain David Warner face lengthy bans for their part in the balltampering scandal in South Africa. On the day it emerged that many of Australian cricket’s major sponsors were considering their involvement with the sport following Saturday’s events in Cape Town, Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland left for Johannesburg declaring: ‘We know Australians want answers.’ He will act on the recommendations of the board’s integrity unit, who continued their inquiry into what led Smith’s team to cheat during the third Test. Decisions are expected today. Smith has already been banned from the final Test at the Wanderers starting on Friday, and Warner — a central figure in the Australian leadership group that

hatched the plan for opening batsman Cameron Bancroft to rough up one side of the ball — is set to follow suit. Though talk of life bans seems unlikely, Sutherland is under pressure from Australia’s prime minister Malcolm Turnbull to reflect the mood of the nation and take decisive action. The repercussions of the players’ decision to break the laws continued to spiral beyond their control. Qantas Airways, cereal brand Sanitarium, brewers Lion, kit manufacturers Asics and Toyota were among several sponsors who indicated their involvement with Australian cricket was in jeopardy. A Sanitarium spokesman said: ‘The actions taken by the team in South Africa don’t align with our own values — (we do) not condone cheating in sport.’ Their concerns were reflected by Lion: ‘This is not what you’d expect from anyone in sport.’ Qantas said in a statement: ‘We are in discussions with Cricket Australia as this issue unfolds.’ Tim Paine, the acting captain who was recalled to the Test side for the Ashes after seven years away, admitted: ‘It’s been a horrible 24 hours. The reality of what has happened has started to sink in.’ Meanwhile, MCC — who preside over the laws of cricket — called for a ‘major shift in attitude and culture of all those with responsibility for leadership in the game, to give young players role models who will uphold standards, preserve cricket and, vitally, the Spirit of Cricket for future generations’. Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann could also face a fight for his job.