Smith has copped a one-Test ban from the International Cricket Council but faces further sanction from Cricket Australia who are under enormous pressure to sack him as skipper.
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Ian Chappell – former Australian captain If indeed it was a leadership-group decision then it’s hard to sack Smith mid-series because there’s no obvious captaincy replacement if all the senior players were involved.
Both Steve Smith and David Warner stepped aside form their respected designation for wicket-keeper Tim Paine to act as stand-in-skipper.
“What is extraordinary, I think, is how it was done and how easily it was agreed to by the team and how, not unapologetic, but sort of oblivious to the consequences Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft seemed to be at the press conference”, cricket writer Gideon Haigh told national broadcaster ABC.
Opening batsman Bancroft, the most junior member in the side at 25, has been charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which could lead to a one-match ban and a 100 percent fine of his match fee.
In a news conference earlier Smith, 28, admitted to concocting a plan to tamper with the ball, by rubbing dirt onto the surface to cause it to swerve unpredictably in the air.
Smith, Warner and Bancroft were all booed to and from the pitch at Newlands.
Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland penned a personal apology to Australian cricket fans as he announced Smith and Warner had been relieved of their duties for the remainder of the third Test shortly before play on day four in Cape Town.
“The ASC expects and requires that Australian teams and athletes demonstrate unimpeachable integrity in representing our country”, it said in a statement.
Turnbull had what he called a “frank discussion” with Cricket Australia (CA) chairman David Peever.
Cricket Australia, coming off a highly damaging labour dispute a year ago, have also come under fire for the temerity of their initial response.
“Being the leader of the team I’m incredibly sorry for trying to bring the game into disrepute the way that we did today”.
Smith had insisted on Saturday he wouldn’t resign the captaincy he has held for three years since succeeding Michael Clarke.
“The ICC needs to do more to prevent poor behaviour and better police the spirit of the game, defining more clearly what is expected of players and enforcing the regulations in a consistent fashion”, Richardon said in a statement.
Coach Darren Lehmann has yet to front the media to explain what, if any, his role in the scandal was, as former players and fans alike call for his job. “I’m not sure what’s going to happen”, he said. It’s not within the spirit of the game.
“They’ve set themselves as this higher than high, this pious team who look down at everyone and set the benchmark for what is right and wrong in cricket, when everyone who’s played against them knows that’s an absolute joke”.
Despite Bancroft s actions being shown on big screens around the ground, the umpires took no action.
The cricketing world was shocked when batsman Cameron Bancroft was filmed using sticky tape to collect granules from the ground to roughen up the ball, and then stuffing the tape in his pants to hide it, in an attempt to alter the ball’s condition to secure an advantage.
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Draconian? Maybe. But unless a line is drawn under this kind of illegal, dishonest, immoral and dishonourable conduct, the practice will continue and become worse, as players from around the world will see this very public case as a precedent that they can get away with this kind of conduct with relative impunity.
