Australia skipper Steve Smith was yesterday heading home from South Africa in disgrace and deputy David Warner lost the captaincy of his Indian Premier League side after a cheating scandal left the team fractured amid mounting suspicion that the full story has not yet emerged.
Smith, Warner and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft, the player caught on camera attempting to doctor a ball with a piece of tape, have been banished for their role in a ball-tampering incident that has dragged Australian cricket’s reputation through the mud.
Vice captain Warner has reportedly been ostracized by the team’s fast bowlers, who feel he unfairly linked them to the row, and he yesterday stepped down as captain of Indian Premier League side Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Smith had already been replaced as skipper of rival side Rajasthan Royals in the cash-rich Twenty20 competition due to start next month as the controversy rages on.
“In light of recent events, David Warner has stepped down as captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad,” Sunrisers chief executive K. Shanmugam said on the team’s Twitter.
Wicketkeeper Tim Paine is to take over the captaincy for the fourth and final Test starting in Johannesburg tomorrow, with hosts South Africa leading 2-1 as Matt Renshaw, Glenn Maxwell and Joe Burns fly to South Africa to replace the exiled trio.
Coach Darren Lehmann escaped punishment and is to remain in charge, with further sanctions on the three players to be announced “within 24 hours.”
“I understand and share the anger and disappointment of Australian fans,” Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said of the controversy in the third Test in Cape Town on Saturday. “On behalf of Cricket Australia, I want to apologize to all Australians that these events have taken place, especially to all the kids.”
Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Alistair Nicholson said serious mistakes had been made by Smith and the others, and they understood this.
“The players are remorseful for the mistakes they have made, and they regret how their actions have represented themselves, teammates, cricket and their country,” Nicholson said.
Smith is reportedly distraught and support is being offered to help him cope.
“Welfare of all players is a highly relevant consideration,” Nicholson said.
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.”
Cricket Australia also announced an independent review into “the conduct and culture” of the team, which the association said should examine the behavior of administrators.
Bancroft used a strip of yellow sticky tape to pick up dirt and illegally roughen one side of the ball to generate more swing for Australia’s bowlers.
He was filmed with the dirtied tape and then trying to hide it down the front of his trousers.
Smith said after the Test that the Australia team’s “leadership group” had been aware of the plan.
However, Sutherland insisted Lehmann was not involved.
“Prior knowledge of the ball-tampering incident was limited to three players... No other players or support staff had prior knowledge and this includes Darren Lehmann, who, despite inaccurate media reports, has not resigned from his position,” Sutherland said.
Former Australian captain Michael Clarke said there is more to the story than meets the eye.
“Too many reputations on the line for the full story not to come out. Cape Town change room is a very small place!” Clarke said on Twitter.
Former England Test captain Michael Vaughan was similarly unconvinced, saying on Twitter: “Only 3 people knew ... #MyArse.”
Freddie Freeman homered and drove in four runs, Shohei Ohtani also went deep and Roki Sasaki earned his first major league win as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 10-3 on Saturday night for their seventh straight victory. The Dodgers have won the first two games of the series to improve to 5-0 against Atlanta this year. Los Angeles’ three-game sweep at home early in the season left the Braves 0-7. Sasaki allowed three runs and six hits over five innings. The 23-year-old right-hander gave up a home run to Ozzie Albies, but received plenty of offensive support in his
Bayern Munich on Sunday were crowned German champions for the 34th time, giving striker Harry Kane his first major trophy, after second-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen drew 2-2 at SC Freiburg. Bayern’s 3-3 draw at RB Leipzig on Saturday, when the Bavarians came from two goals down to take the lead before conceding a stoppage-time equalizer, meant defending Bundesliga champions Leverkusen needed to win at Freiburg to delay the title party. Leverkusen were two goals down before scoring twice in the final 10 minutes, but Xabi Alonso’s side could not find a third, as Bayern reclaimed the title at the first attempt after
A man fell from the 6.4m-high Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park in Pittsburgh during Wednesday night’s game between the Pirates and the Chicago Cubs. Right after Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run double in the seventh inning to put the Pirates ahead 4-3, players began waving frantically for medical personnel and pointing to the man, who had fallen onto the warning track. The fan was tended to for approximately five minutes by members of both the Pirates and Cubs training staffs as well as PNC personnel before being removed from the field on a cart. The team issued a statement shortly
PAINFUL VICTORY: Ruud said that felt pain in his rib during the warmup and was put on painkillers so that he could finish the match against Argentine Francisco Cerundolo With the help of painkillers, Casper Ruud overcame a rib ailment to defeat Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets and reach the Madrid Open final on Friday. Ruud is to face Jack Draper, who beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the other semi-final to make his third final of the year. Ruud received treatment on his rib three games into the match and went on to win 6-4, 7-5 on the Caja Magica center court. The 15th-ranked Norwegian saved 15 of the 18 break points he faced against the 21st-ranked Argentine. Ruud said he felt something in his rib during the warmup, just before
RSS