Australian ball-tampering labelled 'completely beyond belief' & 'a shocking disappointment' by Prime Minister

Steve Smith has been forced stand down as captain of the Australian cricket team after admitting to ball-tampering during the third Test with South Africa

Ben Burrows
Sunday 25 March 2018 10:43 BST
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Cricketer Cameron Bancroft seen with object while handling the ball

Australia's Prime Minister has branded the actions of Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft as "completely beyond belief" and "a shocking disappointment".

Skipper Smith has been forced stand down as captain of the Australian cricket team after admitting to ball-tampering during the third Test with South Africa with Bancroft, the batsman at the heart of the incident which was caught on TV cameras, now charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Cricket Australia have confirmed that Smith and vice-captain David Warner will not play in the remainder of the Test in Cape with Tim Paine set to take over.

And with growing calls for Smith to leave the role permanently Malcolm Turnbull believes action must be taken sooner rather than later.

"We all woke up this morning shocked and bitterly disappointed by the news from South Africa," he said. "It seemed completely beyond belief that the Australian cricket team had been involved in cheating. After all, our cricketers are role models and cricket is synonymous with fair play.

"How can our team be engaged in treating (cricket) like this? It beggars belief.

"Let me tell you what has happened today from my point of view. I have spoken with David Peever, the chairman of Cricket Australia a few moments ago, and I have expressed to him very clearly and unequivocally my disappointment and my concern about the events in South Africa and he has said to me that Cricket Australia will be responding decisively, as they should.

Cameron Bancroft appeared to produce an object from his trouser pocket while working on the ball

"It's their responsibility to deal with it, but I have to say that the whole nation, who holds those who wear the baggy green up on a pedestal - about as high as you can get in Australia, certainly higher than any politician, that's for sure - this is a shocking disappointment. It's wrong and I look forward to Cricket Australia taking decisive action soon.

"I think I speak for all Australians in saying how shocked and disappointed we all are. It honestly seems beyond belief. And I have to say, knowing a number of the players, including the captain, quite out of character. But it's been admitted."

Cameron Bancroft was spoken to by the match umpires 

Bancroft was seen holding the ball when television cameras caught him producing a flat bit of material – that he later confirmed was a strip of sticky tape – from his pocket, with slow-motion replays being shown both on TV coverage and on the big screen at Newlands, and Bancroft then put the tape into the front of his trousers in an attempt to hide it.

He said that it was his intention to use granules of dirt from the pitch on the sticky tape to try and roughen the dirty side of the ball, which would aid Australia’s seam bowlers in being able to reverse-swing it.

Smith has now been stood down as captain for the remainder of the Test in Cape Town 

Umpires Richard Illingworth and Nigel Llong spoke to Bancroft at the time of the incident, and he produced what looked to be a sunglasses case from his pocket – though the black fabric did not look like the piece of material that he had put into his trousers seconds before.

While the two English umpires appeared satisfied with Bancroft’s explanation, the ICC has since launched a full investigation.

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