Tears, torment and the promise of more revelations
Emotional Smith admits failure of his leadership Warner to have his say as Lehmann quits as coach
Australian cricket lurched from one crisis to another on an extraordinary day that included head coach Darren Lehmann resigning and shamed former captain Steve Smith breaking down in tears as he apologised to a stunned nation on his return to Sydney.
Lehmann resigned just a day after vowing to carry on and repair Australian cricket’s destroyed reputation in the aftermath of the balltampering scandal. But as The Daily Telegraph revealed on Tuesday, Lehmann has been close to resignation throughout this episode despite the backing of his employer Cricket Australia, and finally realised he had to quit after he saw Smith and Cameron Bancroft facing the Australian public when they arrived home from South Africa yesterday morning.
Lehmann’s resignation capped another tumultuous day that also included:
Smith repeatedly breaking down in tears as he confessed to a “serious failure in my leadership”
James Sutherland, the CA chief executive, has vowed to carry on in his position
Bancroft admitting his initial explanation over the ball-tampering was a lie
David Warner conceding his actions left a “stain on the game” but ominously stating he would have his say in the coming days
Sponsors deserting CA, as well as the three players, in droves at an estimated cost of more £10million
James Sutherland, CA chief executive, fending off calls to resign
The International Cricket Council launching a review into player behaviour around the world and considering harsher sanctions for ball-tampering.
Flanked by his father, Peter, Smith was unable to keep back the tears as he contemplated the full impact of his actions in Cape Town last week.
“I’m deeply sorry. I love the game of cricket. I love kids wanting to play the great game of cricket that I love,” he said. “Any time you’re thinking of making a questionable decision. Think about who you’re affecting. To see the way my old man has been ...”
At this point, Smith stopped briefly to cry and continued after a pat on the back from his father. “... and my mum. It hurts.”
Smith said he took full responsibility for what happened at Newlands. “I made a serious error of judgment and I know and understand the consequences. It was a failure of my leadership.”
On the opposite side of Australia, in Perth, Bancroft admitted to panicking and making up his initial story about using sticky tape to try to scuff the ball, revealing it was much more abrasive sandpaper.
“I panicked and I’m very sorry. I feel like I’ve let everyone down in Australia,” he said.
Unlike Smith, who is likely to play for Australia again, Bancroft knows he has probably blown his international career. He also forfeited the chance to play for Somerset this summer after they sacked him as their overseas player.
Watching all this on television in his hotel room in Johannesburg preparing for today’s fourth Test was Lehmann, the head coach who somehow had survived in his post until this point.
With bloodshot eyes, but in control of his emotions, Lehmann revealed he would leave at the end of this Test with almost 18 months left to run on his contract.
“After seeing events in the media today with Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft, the feeling is that Australian cricket needs to move forward and this is the right thing to do,” he said. “I really feel for Steve, as I saw him crying in front of the media.
“I had no prior knowledge of the [ball-tampering] incident and do not condone the incident at all, but good people can make mistakes. My family and I have copped a lot of abuse over the last week and it’s taken its toll on them. I’ve been thinking about my position for a while. As a team we know we’ve let so many people down and for that, we are truly sorry.”
Sutherland is presiding over a disaster and as a man in charge of Australian cricket for two decades, he must take his share of the blame for the toxic culture that he is now trying to eradicate. He vowed to carry on despite Magellan, the title sponsor of Test cricket in Australia, cutting its ties with the board just one year into a three-year £10million deal. In addition, the Australian Cricketers’ Association hit out at a “number of glaring and clear anomalies” in the punishment of the players and hinted at legal action.
All eyes are now on Warner. He uttered a few words to reporters on landing in Sydney with his family but took to social media to reveal he would have his full say in a few days’ time.
Warner has been found guilty as the ringleader of the plot. Cricket Australia has more or less finished his international career and cast him out. There are few more volatile or unpredictable characters in sport than Warner. If he feels he has nothing to lose, he could look to take others down with him and claim the plot was not just restricted to the three found guilty as Cricket Australia has insisted.
Australia cricket could be facing even more dark days to come.