Australian cricket captain Steve Smith and his partner-in-crime Cameron Bancroft have been handed down punishment from the ICC in the aftermath of their admission of ball-tampering during yesterday’s third day of their third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.
Smith, who headed up the ‘leadership group’ that decided to engage in ball-tampering in an attempt to alter the ball condition, has been handed down the harsher sanctions.
He will be banned for one test - meaning he’ll miss Australia’s upcoming fourth Test in Johannesburg - and fined 100% of his game fee. He’ll have four demerit points on his record.
Bancroft, who did the dirty work on the day, will be fined 75% of his match fee and handed three demerit points but avoids a ban.
He took a foreign object out of his pocket during South Africa's innings and rubbed it off the ball before stashing it back in his trousers. Pictures of that debacle were broadcast around the stadium and he was soon to come to grief.
Match officials Richard Illingworth and Nigel Llong questioned him in the presence of his captain almost immediately.
ICC Chief Executive David Richardson handed down the sanctions and had firm words to add on the matter.
“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," he said.
"As captain Steve Smith must take full responsibility for the actions of his players and it is appropriate that he be suspended," he added.
