Aussies fighting for futures after ball-tampering ruse

Australia endured one of the most ignominious days in their cricketing history in Cape Town, condemned and exposed for a ball-tampering ruse that has left Steve Smith scrambling for his future as captain and booed out of Newlands after crashing to a dismal defeat.

Cricket Australia has initiated its own internal investigation into Cameron Bancroft’s attempt to manipulate the ball with sticky tape and debris from the pitch, promising answers after a chorus of condemnation which began at the office of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and was echoed across the cricketing world.

Bancroft may have been the man wielding the improvised sandpaper but his junior status and Smith’s confession of complicity saw him pay a bigger price – banned for the final Test, fined 100 per cent of his match fee and handed four demerit points, while the perpetrator was fined 75 per cent of his purse and hit with three demerit points.

Unlike Smith he remains available to play in Johannesburg next week but that may prove fanciful.

Smith, Bancroft and vicecaptain David Warner, who joined his skipper in agreeing to temporarily step down on the fourth morning, were all booed to and from the crease with gusto by the Newlands crowd as the tourists lost all 10 wickets, and the match, in the final session.

The 322-run defeat means they cannot now win the series but they have lost much more in the last 24 hours, mostly in terms of trust and respect.

Tim Paine acted as captain with Smith and Warner absent and at the post-match presentation apologised, adding that Smith and Bancroft were “struggling”.

“It’s been an absolutely horrible 24 hours to be perfectly honest,” he said.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to apologise to our fans, all the Australians back home and the guys that have travelled over here. They deserve better than what we put up yesterday. That’s all I can say on the matter at the moment.”

Head coach Darren Lehmann, absolved of guilt by Smith but with plenty of questions to answer as the team’s ultimate authority figure, also faces an uncertain period.