Steven Smith and David Warner have been removed as Australia’s captain and vice-captain for the remainder of the Cape Town Test against South Africa, as the first fallout of the ball-tampering confession Australia made on the third day of the Test. Wicketkeeper Tim Paine will lead Australia for the last two days of the contest.
Smith has been fined 100 per cent of his match fee by ICC following his admission on Saturday that he was party to a decision to attempt to change the condition of the ball in order to gain an unfair advantage during the third day’s play in the Cape Town Test against South Africa, said Cricket Australia on Sunday as it investigates a ball-tampering scandal.
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”.
“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,” Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland said in a statement.
“This Test match needs to proceed, and in the interim we will continue to investigate this matter with the urgency that it demands. Both Steve and David will take to the field today under Tim’s captaincy,” he added.
Sutherland earlier on 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.
Cricket Australia’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 Cricket Australia head added.