Cricket: Steve Smith, David Warner slapped with 12-month ban by Cricket Australia

Australia’s disgraced captain Steven Smith has been hit with a 12-month ban by Cricket Australia.

Smith, alongside vice-captain David Warner, were found guilty by Australia’s cricket governing body of ball-tampering in their ongoing series against South Africa.

The duo were also told neither will captain the team for the next two years, with the body confirming Warner was at the centre of the charges having ‘developed and given instruction to the junior player’.

Smith, meanwhile, was hit with charges of ‘knowledge’ and ‘failure to prevent’ the plan from taking place, among other charges.

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In addition, Cameron Bancroft, caught on camera using a foreign object to alter the state of the ball, was hit with a nine-month ban for ‘carrying out’ the plan and ‘seeking to mislead’ match officials.

Coach Darren Lehmann said in an emotional interview: “The players have made a grave mistake but they are not bad people.

“There is a human side to this. I hope people will give them a second chance. I worry about the three guys mentally.

“We know we have let so many people down. We are truly sorry. There is a need for us to change the way we play. We need to work to bring the respect back from the fans.”

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CA chairman David Peever said: “As I indicated yesterday, the CA Board understands and shares the anger of fans and the broader Australian community about these events.

“They go to the integrity and reputation of Australian Cricket and Australian sport and the penalties must reflect that.

“These are significant penalties for professional players and the Board does not impose them lightly. It is hoped that following a period of suspension, the players will be able to return to playing the game they love and eventually rebuild their careers.”

Cricket Australia confirmed Warner will not be considered for leadership roles in the future, Bancroft and Smith must wait a minimum of two years.

Neither Warner nor Smith will feature in the IPL 2018 after BCCI banned the duo from this year’s instalment of the lucrative T20 competition.

CEO James Sutherland added: “As the Chairman has noted, the sanctions we have announced are significant for the individuals involved. That is why the process has had to be thorough to ensure that all relevant issues have been examined.

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“I am satisfied that the sanctions in this case properly reflect a balance between the need to protect the integrity and reputation of the game and the need to maintain the possibility of redemption for the individuals involved, all of whom have learned difficult lessons through these events.

“As indicated, Cricket Australia will provide more details of an independent review into the conduct and culture of our Australian men’s team in due course.”

The bans relate to day three of the third Test in Cape Town where relative new-boy Bancroft was revealed to have been using ‘yellow tape’ – now confirmed to be sandpaper – to help manufacture reverse swing as Australia struggled in the field.

Bancroft, making just his eighth Test appearance, reportedly denied the use of the tape at the time, telling the umpire it was his sunglasses case.

Smith later admitted a ‘leadership group’ had known about the attempted tampering, although only himself, Warner and Bancroft admitted to the breach.

The International Cricket Council banned Smith for the Johannesburg Test, which begins on Friday with the hosts leading 2-1, and fined him the full match fee while Bancroft was fined 75% of his match fee.

All three will fly back to Australia, with Joe Burns, Matthew Renshaw and Glenn Maxwell set to replace the trio in the side.

The incident had left serious question marks over the role of coach Lehmann, who was reportedly set to step down from his position – only for Cricket Australia to back him in a Tuesday press conference.