Smith fined, banned for one Test by ICC
CAPE TOWN: The International Cricket Council has banned Australia captain Steve Smith for one match and docked his match fee yesterday after he admitted responsibility for the ball-tampering scandal in the ongoing third Test against South Africa.
Australia batsman Cameron Bancroft, who was the man tasked with doing the tampering on the field, was hit by three demerit points, fined 75 percent of his match fee and warned for his part in attempting to “change the condition of the ball in order to gain an unfair advantage” on Saturday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement yesterday.
Smith, who stood down temporarily as captain of the team yesterday, will now miss the final Test of the series against South Africa in Johannesburg.
In its ruling, the ICC says Smith admitted that he was “party to a decision to attempt to change the condition of the ball in order to gain an unfair advantage.”
Smith and Bancroft confessed on Saturday to a plan to try and cheat against South Africa by tampering with the ball using a piece of yellow adhesive tape and some dirt in order to get the ball to swing.
Although Smith confessed the plan was hatched by the Australia team’s “leadership group,” he refused to name other players involved and the ICC didn’t announce action against anyone else in its ruling yesterday.
Vice-captain David Warner had also stepped down from his role yesterday for the remainder of the third Test.
Smith and Warner would still play for the final two days of the Test at Newlands, but they would have no leadership responsibilities, Cricket Australia said. Tim Paine would stand-in as captain of the team, CA chief executive James Sutherland said in a statement.
The long-term futures of Smith and Warner are surely in the balance after the captain confessed that he was part of a group of senior players who hatched a plan to cheat against South Africa on Saturday.
“This Test match needs to proceed, and in the interim we will continue to investigate this matter with the urgency that it demands,” Sutherland said in a statement released just before play started on the fourth day in Cape Town.
“As I said earlier today, Cricket Australia and Australian cricket fans expect certain standards of conduct from cricketers representing our country, and on this occasion these standards have not been met.
“All Australians, like us, want answers and we will keep you updated on our findings, as a matter of priority.”
South Africa lead by more than 300 runs and look set for a convincing win to move ahead 2-1 in the series with just one more game to play. The Australia team appeared completely dispirited at the start of play yesterday, shuffling down the stairs to the field with their heads down.