Sydney, Mar 25 : Steve Smith and David Warner will stand down as captain and vice-captain for rest of Australia’s third Test match against South Africa, Cricket Australia said today as it investigates a ball-tampering scandal.
There have been growing calls for Smith to be sacked as captain after he admitted being the mastermind of a premeditated plan to change the condition of the ball on the third day of the Test in Newlands on Saturday.
“Following discussions with Steve Smith and David Warner they have agreed to stand down as captain and vice-captain respectively for the remainder of this Test match,” CA chief James Sutherland said in a statement.
Sutherland said Tim Paine would step in as acting captain for the remainder of the Test.
“This Test match needs to proceed, and in the interim we will continue to investigate this matter with the urgency that it demands,” he added.
“Both Steve and David will take to the field today under Tim’s captaincy.”
Sutherland earlier Sunday announced an investigation into the scandal, which has plunged Australian cricket into crisis and resulted in widespread condemnation at home, including from Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
CA’s head of integrity Iain Roy and head of team performance Pat Howard were flying to South Africa to conduct the investigation.
“All Australians, like us, want answers and we will keep you updated on our findings, as a matter of priority,” the CA head added.
Television footage had showed Smith’s teammate Cameron Bancroft, 25, taking a yellow object out of his pocket while fielding in the post-lunch session and appearing to rub it on the ball.
He was later charged with attempting to change the condition of the ball.
Smith, 28, has earlier said he would not quit as he felt he was still “the right person for the job”.
Australian Prime Minister calls for Steve Smith’s removal
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has also called the incident a ‘shocking disappointment’
In the wake of the recent ball tampering incident, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called for the removal of cricket captain Steve Smith.
“It seems beyond belief the Australian cricket team have been involved in cheating. Our cricketers are role models and cricket is synonymous with fair play. How can our team be engaged in cheating like this? It beggars belief”, said the prime minister according to the BBC.
Smith banned for one Test, Bancroft given three demerit points
Dubai: Australia captain Steven Smith will not play the fourth Test against South Africa in Johannesburg, after the ICC gave him the maximum penalty for tampering with the ball on the third day of the Newlands Test. Fielder Cameron Bancroft, who was the player to actually tamper with the ball, was given three demerit points after accepting the Level 2 charge.
Earlier on Sunday, Smith was stood down as captain by Cricket Australia for the rest of the ongoing Cape Town Test, while David Warner was removed as vice-captain.
“The decision made by the leadership group of the Australian team to act in this way is clearly contrary to the spirit of the game, risks causing significant damage to the integrity of the match, the players and the sport itself and is therefore ‘serious’ in nature. As captain, Steve Smith must take full responsibility for the actions of his players and it is appropriate that he be suspended,” ICC CEO David Richardson said.
