Australia’s ball tampering scandal rocks the world

Additionally, Bancroft has been fined 75 percent of his match fee and handed three demerit points for breaching Level 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct.

With Australia reeling on the back of widespread criticism from the likes of former players and prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, the home side hit four boundaries in the opening three overs before their momentum was checked as AB de Villers (63) edged Josh Hazlewood (3-69) to slip.

Cricket Australia CEO, James Sutherland said, “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”.

Captain Smith and vice-captain Warner took the field under Paine’s leadership at Newlands, where the tourists were booed onto the field as day four started on Sunday.

Their reaction to England’s disciplinary lapses in the Ashes – notably when Bancroft and Smith gave a jovial press conference on the subject of Jonny Bairstow’s “headbutt” greeting – saw them lobbing rocks from a sizeable glass house.

“This behaviour calls into question the integrity of the team and Cricket Australia”. “I won’t consider stepping down (from the captaincy)”.

“I still think I’m the right person for the job”, he told reporters but admitted: “We spoke about it at lunch”.

“There is no doubt there has been a mistake and the players are responsible for this”. Handscomb later spoke to Bancroft, who proceeded to hide the tape down the front of his pants.

The shocking Australian ball tampering incident has the world gaping and gasping, but if you’re wondering why and how players actually go about changing the condition of the ball, then the following should clear it up.

On the final day, Smith and vice captain David Warner stepped down from the team before play began.

“We all woke up this morning shocked and bitterly disappointed by the news from South Africa”.

“We’ve got to try and take some sort of positive out of it long term and turn ourselves into the cricket team we want to be”. After all, our cricketers are role models and cricket is synonymous with fair play.

While he did not call for Smith to resign he said thought there should be “decisive action” soon.

Team manager Mohammed Moosajee, an influential figure within Cricket South Africa, said he did not believe the scandal would affect relations between the cricket boards of the two nations.

Pakistani limited over cricket team captain Shahid Afridi in 2010. For us at Cricket Australia that’s extremely disappointing but more importantly it’s extremely disappointing for Australian cricket fans. It is being dealt with as a matter of urgency and seriousness.

Smith and his team-mates had come under heavy fire from Australian fans on social media, notably.

Tim Paine filled in for Steve Smith, who was stood down as captain after the incident.

Locked in a close test match (the five-day version of the sport) against South Africa, Australia became desperate to gain an advantage. “It’s pre-meditated cheating, it’s blatant cheating”.

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said of Smith: “He is trying to take responsibility, so there is right in that but people are also responsible for their own actions”.

Had they done so they could have levied five penalty runs against Australia. How can our team by engaged in cheating like this?

“One of the unique things about the game of cricket, is it is to be played not only within the laws of the game, but in the spirit of the game”.

That includes the likes of lollies – Werther’s Originals are said to be the best – sunblock, lip balm, hair gel, Vaseline, or in the case of the latest incident involving the Aussies, tape. In plumbing the depths of all that is wrong in sport, Australia have a chance to walk the path of righteousness. Many felt this is not the first time they did it but probably the first instance where they were caught.