Australia coach Lehmann wants forgiveness for banned trio

Former Australia captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner, who were banned for 12 months on Wednesday after being found guilty of plotting ball-tampering during the third Test against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town, were banned from taking part from the upcoming season of Indian Premier League by the BCCI.

Darren Lehmann’s radio call down to the players’ dugout in the third Test to ask “what the f*** is going on?” appears to have absolved him of blame in the ball tampering scandal that has engulfed Australian cricket.

“There are elements of courage and leadership that have been shown in this”, he said.

Smith and Warner have also reportedly been banned from captaining Australia for the next two years. Also involved in the cheating case, Cameron Bancroft has been banned for nine months.

With Smith, Warner and Bancroft on the way home, their places in the Australia squad will be taken by Matt Renshaw, Joe Burns and Glenn Maxwell. Warner is stripped of his position as deputy and will never again be considered for a leadership role.

The fallout extended beyond Australia.

“I spoke to all three players personally”. Picture showing Australia’s Cameron Bancroft tampering with the cricket ball.

Smith had already been suspended for one Test and docked his entire match fee by the International Cricket Council, and Sutherland said further punishments “will reflect the gravity of the situation”.

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“We are all so hurt and angry and maybe we weren’t so sure how to react”, Warne wrote on Facebook.

“The whole opportunity for us going forward now is something we can learn from and something we can try to control (is) how we are seen going forward by our Australian public, and become the team that we want to become and they want us to be seen as”.

India are touring Australia down under next year.

STEVE Smith’s fall from grace was encapsulated in the former Australia captain’s humiliating walk of shame through Johannesburg airport as he headed home.

Lehmann will begin moving past the controversial week when he leads a makeshift team captained by wicketkeeper Tim Paine in the fourth Test beginning on Friday.

Darren Lehmann remains coach, with CA’s investigation team finding that no coach or member of support staff knew of the ball-tampering ploy.

“It’s been building over a long period of time and the culture between the team really needs to be addressed really seriously”.

“They have made a grave mistake, but they are not bad people”, Lehmann said.

Opening batsman Warner first started working with LG as the company’s brand ambassador in 2014. This was just one of eight articles about the ball-tampering affair at the top of its online homepage. The evidence from the TV cameras was overwhelming and Smith and Bancroft came out after play to confess to their roles in the plot to reporters.

Lehmann also clarified comments made earlier in the series where he stated that “techniques” were used by both sides to rough up the ball and hasten reverse swing that may or may not be approved of by the ICC. “And they regret how their actions have represented themselves, teammates, cricket and their country”, he said.