Ball-Tampering Scandal: David Warner broke down while addressing the media on Saturday.

David Warner, former Australia vice-captain, made a tearful apology on Saturday for his role in the ball-tampering scandal that has left the cricketing world reeling, saying he is “resigned to the fact” he may never play for Australia again. The left-handed opener repeatedly said he was taking “full responsibility for my part” in the controversy, which saw Australian cricketer Cameron Bancroft use sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball during the third Test against South Africa in Newlands, Cape Town.
Despite an emotional address to the media, Warner stonewalled questions about who was aware of the ball-tampering and whether it was the first such incident within the team.
Warner, 31, told a media conference in Sydney: “I can honestly say I have only wanted to bring glory to my country through playing cricket.
“In striving to do so I have made the decision which has had the opposite effect and it’s one that I will regret for as long as I live.”
Warner’s appearance comes after similar heartfelt apologies by opening batsman Cameron Bancroft and captain Steve Smith, who broke down when he faced the media on Thursday.
Coach Darren Lehmann, convinced to step down after seeing the apologies from Bancroft and Smith, was also tearful as he announced his resignation.
Smith and Warner were banned from international and domestic cricket for a year and Bancroft was suspended for nine months after the incident during the third Test in Cape Town.
Bancroft was caught on camera trying to use yellow sandpaper to alter the ball, an offence which triggered an outpouring of criticism against the hard-nosed Australian team.
Warner, a dynamic batsman but a divisive figure in the game, was charged by Cricket Australia with developing the plot and telling Bancroft to carry it out.
When questioned about a possible appeal, Warner said: “That’s something that I will continue to sit down with my family and weigh up all my considerations before I make any decisions.”
A report Saturday said Bancroft was set to lodge an appeal and had sought legal advice ahead of Thursday’s appeals deadline.
‘It’s inexcusable’
Warner, who struggled to control his emotions during his 10-minute media conference, apologized to both teams, their fans, Cricket Australia and his family, including his wife Candice who was also crying as she watched from the media seats.
But when asked for further details of the plot, such as whether it was his idea, who else was aware and whether it had happened before, he avoided the question.
“I am here today to accept my responsibility for my part and my involvement for what happened in Cape Town,” Warner said.
“It’s inexcusable, I am deeply sorry. I will do everything I can to earn back the respect of the Australian public.”
Warner, who has played 74 Test since his debut in 2011, said he would be seeking ways to make character changes. Warner, who has been described as the team’s “attack dog”, was also banned in 2013 after punching England’s Joe Root in a bar.
“I suppose there is a tiny ray of hope that I may one day be given the privilege of playing for my country again, but I am resigned to the fact that may never happen,” he said.
“But in the coming weeks and months I am going to look at what has happened and who I am as a man.
“To be honest, I am not sure right now how I will do this, I will seek out advice and expertise to make serious changes.”
Warner called it a “horrible” decision, adding: “I failed in my responsibilities as vice-captain of the Australian cricket team.”
The fallout from the crisis has seen Warner dumped by sponsors ASICS and LG. Along with Smith, he has also been ejected from this year’s Indian Premier League, losing contracts worth nearly US$2 million each.
(With AFP Inputs) – Article courtesy – ndtvsports.com

 

F du Plessis of South Africa collected the first ball against Australia in the ongoing test at Johannesburg to provide the 31^st occasion of a captain dismissed  first ball  for a duck in a test innings against Australia. All such occasions are listed below

No	Player	Runs	BF	Inns	Team	Oppn	Ground	Start Date
1	WG Grace	0	1	2	Eng	Aus	Lord’s	21 Jul 1890
2	AC MacLaren	0	1	3	Eng	Aus	Sydney	26 Feb 1898
3	Hon.FS Jackson	0	1	3	Eng	Aus	Lord’s	15 Jun 1905
4	JWHT Douglas	0	1	2	Eng	Aus	Sydney	15 Dec 1911
5	AER Gilligan	0	1	4	Eng	Aus	Melbourne	01 Jan 1925
6	AER Gilligan	0	1	1	Eng	Aus	Melbourne	13 Feb 1925
7	RES Wyatt	0	1	1	Eng	Aus	Manchester	06 Jul 1934
8	WR Hammond	0	1	3	Eng	Aus	Leeds	22 Jul 1938
9	L Amarnath	0	1	2	Ind	Aus	Melbourne	01 Jan 1948
10	L Amarnath	0	1	3	Ind	Aus	Adelaide	23 Jan 1948
11	JDC Goddard	0	1	3	Win	Aus	Brisbane	09 Nov 1951
12	R Illingworth	0	1	1	Eng	Aus	The Oval	10 Aug 1972
13	JM Brearley	0	1	3	Eng	Aus	Perth	15 Dec 1978
14	IT Botham	0	1	3	Eng	Aus	Lord’s	02 Jul 1981
15	MW Gatting	0	1	4	Eng	Aus	Adelaide	12 Dec 1986
16	SP Fleming	0	1	2	NZl	Aus	Hobart	27 Nov 1997
17	ST Jayasuriya	0	1	1	Srl	Aus	Galle	22 Sep 1999
18	ST Jayasuriya	0	1	2	Srl	Aus	Col-SSC	30 Sep 1999
19	JC Adams	0	1	1	Win	Aus	Perth	01 Dec 2000
20	JC Adams	0	1	4	Win	Aus	Melbourne	26 Dec 2000
21	SP Fleming	0	1	2	NZl	Aus	Brisbane	08 Nov 2001
22	SM Pollock	0	1	2	SAF	Aus	Adelaide	14 Dec 2001
23	Khaled Mahmud	0	1	1	Ban	Aus	Cairns	25 Jul 2003
24	Inzamam-ul-Haq	0	1	4	Pak	Aus	Perth	16 Dec 2004
25	SP Fleming	0	1	2	NZl	Aus	Wellington	18 Mar 2005
26	GC Smith	0	1	2	SAF	Aus	Durban	24 Mar 2006
27	M Jayawardene	0	1	4	Srl	Aus	Hobart	16 Nov 2007
28	LRPL Taylor	0	1	3	NZl	Aus	Brisbane	01 Dec 2011
29	AN Cook	0	1	4	Eng	Aus	Perth	13 Dec 2013
30	JO Holder	0	1	2	Win	Aus	Melbourne	26 Dec 2015
31	F du Plessis	0	1	1	SAF	Aus	Johannesburg	30 Mar 2018

SP Fleming {03}, AER Gilligan {02}, JC Adams {02}, L Amarnath {02}  and ST Jayasuriya {02} are five captains who have collected the first ball duck in a test  innings against Australia on two or more occasions

No	Player	Runs	BF	Inns	Team	Oppn	Ground	Start Date
1	SP Fleming	0	1	2	NZl	Aus	Hobart	27 Nov 1997
2	SP Fleming	0	1	2	NZl	Aus	Brisbane	08 Nov 2001
3	SP Fleming	0	1	2	NZl	Aus	Wellington	18 Mar 2005
1	AER Gilligan	0	1	4	Eng	Aus	Melbourne	01 Jan 1925
2	AER Gilligan	0	1	1	Eng	Aus	Melbourne	13 Feb 1925
1	JC Adams	0	1	1	Win	Aus	Perth	01 Dec 2000
2	JC Adams	0	1	4	Win	Aus	Melbourne	26 Dec 2000
1	L Amarnath	0	1	2	Ind	Aus	Melbourne	01 Jan 1948
2	L Amarnath	0	1	3	Ind	Aus	Adelaide	23 Jan 1948
1	ST Jayasuriya	0	1	1	Srl	Aus	Galle	22 Sep 1999
2	ST Jayasuriya	0	1	2	Srl	Aus	Col-SSC	30 Sep 1999

 

F du Plessis collected the first ball duck in the ongoing test against Australia at Johannesburg to provide the 113^th occasion of a a captain dismissed first ball for a duck in the annals of test cricket. It also provides the sixth occasion of a South African captain undergoing such an ignominy in tests. All such occasions are tabulated below

No	Player	Runs	BF	Inns	Oppn	Ground	Start Date
1	SM Pollock	0	1	2	Ind	Bloemfontein	03 Nov 2001
2	SM Pollock	0	1	2	Aus	Adelaide	14 Dec 2001
3	GC Smith	0	1	3	NZl	Auckland	18 Mar 2004
4	GC Smith	0	1	2	Aus	Durban	24 Mar 2006
5	F du Plessis	0	1	4	Eng	The Oval	27 Jul 2017
6	F du Plessis	0	1	1	Aus	Johannesburg	30 Mar 2018

It is interesting to note that the six occasions are  shared equally be three South African captains – SM Pollock, GC Smith and F du Plessis.

No	Player	Runs	BF	Inns	Oppn	Ground	Start Date
1	SM Pollock	0	1	2	Ind	Bloemfontein	03 Nov 2001
2	SM Pollock	0	1	2	Aus	Adelaide	14 Dec 2001
3	GC Smith	0	1	3	NZl	Auckland	18 Mar 2004
4	GC Smith	0	1	2	Aus	Durban	24 Mar 2006
5	F du Plessis	0	1	4	Eng	The Oval	27 Jul 2017
6	F du Plessis	0	1	1	Aus	Johannesburg	30 Mar 2018

It is also interesting to note that these three captains have collected the first ball duck in a test innings against Australia once.  F du Plessis became the first South African captain to collect the first ball duck in the first innings of a test.

No	Player	Runs	BF	Inns	Oppn	Ground	Start Date
1	SM Pollock	0	1	2	Aus	Adelaide	14 Dec 2001
2	GC Smith	0	1	2	Aus	Durban	24 Mar 2006
3	F du Plessis	0	1	1	Aus	Johannesburg	30 Mar 2018

F du Plessis became the first South African captain to collect the first ball duck in the first innings of a test to provide  the 35^th occasion of a captain dismissed first ball for a duck in the first  innings of a test. All such occasions are tabulated below.

No	Player	Runs	BF	Inns	Team	Oppn	Ground	Start Date
1	J Darling	0	1	1	Aus	Eng	Sheffield	03 Jul 1902
2	AER Gilligan	0	1	1	Eng	Aus	Melbourne	13 Feb 1925
3	W Bardsley	0	1	1	Aus	Eng	Leeds	10 Jul 1926
4	RES Wyatt	0	1	1	Eng	Aus	Manchester	06 Jul 1934
5	R Benaud	0	1	1	Aus	Eng	Leeds	06 Jul 1961
6	R Illingworth	0	1	1	Eng	Aus	The Oval	10 Aug 1972
7	Wasim Bari	0	1	1	Pak	Eng	Birmingham	01 Jun 1978
8	S Venkataraghavan	0	1	1	Ind	Eng	Lord’s	02 Aug 1979
9	GS Chappell	0	1	1	Aus	Win	Melbourne	26 Dec 1981
10	N Kapil Dev	0	1	1	Ind	Win	Bridgetown	15 Apr 1983
11	N Kapil Dev	0	1	1	Ind	Eng	Leeds	19 Jun 1986
12	Imran Khan	0	1	1	Pak	Eng	Birmingham	23 Jul 1987
13	AR Border	0	1	1	Aus	Win	Perth	30 Jan 1993
14	A Ranatunga	0	1	1	Srl	Pak	Faisalabad	15 Sep 1995
15	ADR Campbell	0	1	1	Zim	Ind	Harare	07 Oct 1998
16	ST Jayasuriya	0	1	1	Srl	Aus	Galle	22 Sep 1999
17	JC Adams	0	1	1	Win	Aus	Perth	01 Dec 2000
18	Khaled Mashud	0	1	1	Ban	Pak	Dhaka	09 Jan 2002
19	Khaled Mahmud	0	1	1	Ban	Aus	Cairns	25 Jul 2003
20	Younis Khan	0	1	1	Pak	Ind	Karachi	29 Jan 2006
21	D Ganga	0	1	1	Win	Eng	Ch-le-St	15 Jun 2007
22	Mohd Ashraful	0	1	1	Ban	NZl	Dunedin	04 Jan 2008
23	MP Vaughan	0	1	1	Eng	SAF	Birmingham	30 Jul 2008
24	RT Ponting	0	1	1	Aus	SAF	Perth	17 Dec 2008
25	RT Ponting	0	1	1	Aus	SAF	Sydney	03 Jan 2009
26	RT Ponting	0	1	1	Aus	Pak	Sydney	03 Jan 2010
27	AJ Strauss	0	1	1	Eng	SAF	Johannesburg	14 Jan 2010
28	DJG Sammy	0	1	1	Win	Srl	Galle	15 Nov 2010
29	RT Ponting	0	1	1	Aus	Eng	Adelaide	03 Dec 2010
30	MJ Clarke	0	1	1	Aus	Ind	Mohali	14 Mar 2013
31	D Ramdin	0	1	1	Win	Ban	Gros Islet	13 Sep 2014
32	AG Cremer	0	1	1	Zim	NZl	Bulawayo	28 Jul 2016
33	JO Holder	0	1	1	Win	NZl	Wellington	01 Dec 2017
34	LD Chandimal	0	1	1	Srl	Ban	Dhaka	08 Feb 2018
35	F du Plessis	0	1	1	SAF	Aus	Johannesburg	30 Mar 2018

Kapil Dev {02} and RT Ponting {04} are the two captains who are dismissed for a first ball duck in the first innings of a test on two or more occasions

No	Player	Runs	BF	Inns	Team	Oppn	Ground	Start Date
1	N Kapil Dev	0	1	1	Ind	Win	Bridgetown	15 Apr 1983
2	N Kapil Dev	0	1	1	Ind	Eng	Leeds	19 Jun 1986
1	RT Ponting	0	1	1	Aus	SAF	Perth	17 Dec 2008
2	RT Ponting	0	1	1	Aus	SAF	Sydney	03 Jan 2009
3	RT Ponting	0	1	1	Aus	Pak	Sydney	03 Jan 2010
4	RT Ponting	0	1	1	Aus	Eng	Adelaide	03 Dec 2010

F du Plessis became the second captain to collect the first ball duck in the first innings of a test at Johannesburg. AJ Strauss of England had collected the first ball duck against South Africa at Johannesburg in Jan 2010.

No	Player	Runs	BF	Inns	Team	Oppn	Ground	Start Date
1	AJ Strauss	0	1	1	Eng	SAF	Johannesburg	14 Jan 2010
2	F du Plessis	0	1	1	SAF	Aus	Johannesburg	30 Mar 2018

F du Plessia became the ninth captain to collect the first ball duck in a test innings in the tests played on South African soil. All such occasions are tabulated below

No	Player	Runs	BF	Inns	Team	Oppn	Ground	Start Date
1	PF Warner	0	1	3	Eng	SAF	Johannesburg	06 Mar 1906
2	KR Rutherford	0	1	3	NZl	SAF	Johannesburg	25 Nov 1994
3	Rashid Latif	0	1	2	Pak	SAF	Port Elizabeth	06 Mar 1998
4	SM Pollock	0	1	2	SAF	Ind	Bloemfontein	03 Nov 2001
5	GC Smith	0	1	2	SAF	Aus	Durban	24 Mar 2006
6	AJ Strauss	0	1	1	Eng	SAF	Johannesburg	14 Jan 2010
7	MJ Clarke	0	1	3	Aus	SAF	Cape Town	01 Mar 2014
8	D Ramdin	0	1	3	Win	SAF	Cape Town	02 Jan 2015
9	F du Plessis	0	1	1	SAF	Aus	Johannesburg	30 Mar 2018

F du Plessis became the third South African captain to collect the first ball duck in a test innings on  South African soil. Others are  SM Pollock and GC Smith

No	Player	Runs	BF	Inns	Team	Oppn	Ground	Start Date
1	SM Pollock	0	1	2	SAF	Ind	Bloemfontein	03 Nov 2001
2	GC Smith	0	1	2	SAF	Aus	Durban	24 Mar 2006
3	F du Plessis	0	1	1	SAF	Aus	Johannesburg	30 Mar 2018

Of the nine occasions on which captains collected the first ball duck on South African soil, four of them collected at Johannesburg. All such occasions are tabulated below. F du Plessis became the  first captain to collect the first ball duck in a test at Johannesburg.

No	Player	Runs	BF	Inns	Team	Oppn	Ground	Start Date
1	PF Warner	0	1	3	Eng	SAF	Johannesburg	06 Mar 1906
2	KR Rutherford	0	1	3	NZl	SAF	Johannesburg	25 Nov 1994
3	AJ Strauss	0	1	1	Eng	SAF	Johannesburg	14 Jan 2010
4	F du Plessis	0	1	1	SAF	Aus	Johannesburg	30 Mar 2018

 

 

The Cape Town ball-tampering saga is far from cricket’s first. Cameron Bancroft and Steven Smith’s confessions were the latest in a string of revelations made over the years, but what made it different is the timing, an instant acceptance forced by all the video evidence against them. Here are seven times when cricketers have confessed to ball-tampering, often by far more vicious methods than the use of sandpaper.

Long before reverse swing in the 1980s.. ..there were Arthur Mailey and Ted McDonald
Mailey, a legspinner who played for Australia in the 1920s, admitted to tampering with the seam of the ball using resin and bird-lime in his tell-all autobiography, 10 for 66 and all that, published in 1958
In a separate chapter titled “Tinkering with the rules”, Mailey explained how he repeatedly used foreign substances to help lift the seam, “a peculiarity which allows the new ball to swerve more than an old one on which the stitches have been battered flat”
Mailey was once caught cheating by England captain Johnny Douglas, but on immediately looking at the latter’s thumbnail being worn to the bone on the outside, found out that he had been lifting the seams too. The matter was settled then and there

John Lever and vaseline-gate – When the physio’s tip toppled India on their own turf
1. During England’s tour to India in 1976-77, John Lever, the Essex left-arm bowler, swung the first Test England’s way, taking ten wickets in Feroze Shah Kotla.
2. By the third Test, India were down 0-2, and had barely worked out how to get past England’s seamers. The England team physio proposed a solution for his bowlers to deal with the heat: strips of Vaseline-soaked gauze stuck on their brows to prevent the perspiration from dripping down their faces.
3. Lever at one point took off his gauze and threw it on the ground, after which it was seized upon by the umpire. Bishan Bedi, the Indian captain, alleged that the bowler had, in effect engaged in ball-tampering – not only in the game underway, but also in Delhi, thus deriving the swing that destroyed India in both Tests.
4. England for their part said that while there had been a technical breach of the law, the offence was totally unintentional

Chris Pringle’s bottle-top wizardry in Faisalabad
New Zealand beat Pakistan at their own reverse-swing game
1. After his side was outdone in the first two Tests on the tour of Pakistan in the autumn of 1990, mostly by prodigious reverse swing, New Zealand bowler Chris Pringle took matters into his own hands.
2. On the first morning of the final Test in Faisalabad, Pringle decided to put to use what he had learned while experimenting in the nets. He cut an old bottle top into quarters and covered the serrated edge with tape, leaving a sharp point exposed.
3. At the first drinks interval the umpires did not ask to look at the ball, and with Pakistan making sedate progress, Pringle began to scratch the ball with the masked bottle top. The results were almost immediate. Pakistan crashed from 35 for 0 to 102 all out and Pringle finished with his best Test figures of 7 for 52.

Imran Khan’s “bottle top” revelations ..and the fallout that ensued
1. In Ivo Tennant’s 1994 biography of him, Imran Khan confessed to having used a bottle top to alter the condition of the ball during a Sussex v Hampshire game in the 1981 county season
2. He later regretted his confession, since it brought him notoriety, instead of his intended purpose of bringing wider attention to rampant ball tampering across cricket

Marcus, Murray Mints, magic
The sweet secret behind England’s Ashes reverse
1. By Ashes 2005, Marcus Trescothick had fashioned himself as the premier spit-shiner in the English side. He found they worked wonders on the Dukes ball used in England, and was designated as the one to work on the ball through the series.
2. Players with sweaty hands were excluded and throws on the bounce banned once the ball was in the right state. Keep the rough side dry and the shiny side pristine.
3. The result was a series of unplayable spells from the likes of Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones throughout the series, as England regained the Ashes after nearly two decades.

Shoaib Akhtar’s explosive post-retirement revelations – Controversially yours.. and how!
1. “Almost all Pakistani fast bowlers have tampered with the ball. I may be the first one to openly admit to it but everybody is doing it”, said Shoaib Akhtar in his autobiography, Controversially Yours, months after retiring from international cricket
2. He went on to admit that he had “tampered with the ball on many occasions”, despite knowing that it was against the laws of the game
3. “There are so many ways to prepare the ball; it’s not just a matter of scratching it. I have used my boot nails and zip of my back pocket. Many bowlers, use vaseline or gum on the ball. The only way to stop this is for the ICC to ensure that at least some pitches are prepared in favour of bowlers”, confessed Akhtar.

Mark Richardson’s “concrete” confessions
1. In the aftermath of the Cameron Bancroft ball-tampering incident, Mark Richardson, the former New Zealand opener, turned out on a local radio show, calling the Australians “slow learners”, calling David Warner “Davey dumb dumb”
2. When pressed by the show’s hosts to reveal his own “cheating” history, he went on to confess that he had once rubbed the cricket ball on a piece of concrete while playing for Otago.
3. Asked if he had ever tampered with the ball for New Zealand, Richardson mentioned that he was “always under the helmet at short-leg and the other guys did the retrieving”

Article courtesy – espncrininfo,com

Cameron Bancroft

Bancroft laments he has thrown away his spot in the teamCameron Bancroft apologized on Thursday for lying about what he had used to scuff up the ball in the third Test against South Africa after it was confirmed he used sandpaper and not sticky tape with granules from the pitch.
“I lied. I lied about the sandpaper,” Bancroft told reporters at a news conference here.
“I panicked in that situation and I’m very sorry. I feel like I’ve let everyone down in Australia.”
The 25-year-old said he had thrown away his spot in the team and that he was determined to win back respect.
“The thing that breaks my heart the most is that I’ve given up my spot in the team for free.
“People know I worked so hard to get to this point in my career and to have given up that chance for free is devastating,” Bancroft added.
Values compromised
“I have never ever been involved in tampering with the ball (before now) and it clearly compromises my values and what I stand for as a player and as a person.
“It’s going to be a really long road particularly for myself to earn that respect back but for me that’s the most important thing.”

Article Courtesy – The  Hindu of 30.03.18

Australia’s David Warner, is seated on the team bus after the arrival of the Australian team to OR Tambo International International airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, Tuesday, March 27, 2018. | Photo Credit: AP

The Australian vice-captain has been identified as the chief plotter of the ball tampering incident in Capetown in South Africa
Banned Australian opener David Warner on Thursday, March 29, 2018, apologised for his role in the ball-tampering scandal, saying he put a “stain on the game he loved as a boy”.
Warner has been identified as the chief plotter of the infamous incident in South Africa, leading to one-year bans on him and captain Steve Smith. Both the players were also barred from this year’s IPL.
“To cricket fans in Australia and all over the world: I am currently on my way back to Sydney. Mistakes have been made which have damaged cricket,” Warner, who was Australia’s vice-captain posted on social media.
“I apologise for my part and take responsibility for it. I understand the distress this has caused the sport and its fans. Its a stain on the game we all love and I have loved since I was a boy.”
The 31-year-old Warner, who can still play club cricket, said he needs time to reassess his future.
“I need to take a deep breath and spend time with my family, friends and trusted advisers. You will hear from me in a few days,” he added.
Following Cricket Australia’s investigation into the scandal, it has come to light that Smith and Cameron Bancroft knew what they were getting into but it was Warner who developed the “plan to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball”.
Bancroft, who has been handed a nine-month suspension, was caught on camera pulling out sand paper to tamper the ball.
The CA has also made it clear that while Smith still has a chance to captain Australia one year after the end of his ban, Warner will never be considered for a leadership role.
The dangerous opener has been charged for instructing “a junior player to carry out a plan to take steps to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball using sandpaper”.
All the three indicted players have also been ordered to undertake 100 hours of voluntary service in community cricket.
However, CA has cleared coach Darren Lehmann of any wrongdoing, insisting that he was not aware of the plan hatched by the trio.

Article courtesy – The Hindu of 30.03.18

• With 4014 runs in 114 games@40.54 (strike rate: 142.13), David Warner — who has played in the tournament from 2009 to 2017 — is the top overseas run-scorer in the IPL, and fifth in the list overall. He has hit 36 fifties and three hundreds.
• Warner, leading Sunrisers Hyderabad, was the top runscorer in IPL 2015 & 2017.
• In the 2016 IPL, Warner slammed 848 runs in 17 games @ 60.57, including nine fifties and one hundred,to lead SRH to the title.
• Steve Smith has scored 1703 runs in 69 games in the IPL, in which he has played from 2012 to 2017. He’s played for the Pune Warriors, Rajasthan Royals and Rising Pune Supergiant.
• Smith was the fourth topscorer in IPL 2017. He led Pune Supergiants to the final, where they lost to Mumbai Indians.
POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS:
Joe Root (England): The England captain can replace Smith at Rajasthan Royals. Root went unsold in the auction.
Martin Guptill (New Zealand): The leading run-scorer in T20Is with 2271 runs is an ideal candidate to replace Warner. Wasn’t picked in the auction, to everyone’s surprise.
Luke Ronchi (New Zealand): Has hit form in the PSL, where he was player of the tournament.
Hashim Amla (South Africa): Has hit two IPL 100s. Can get a second chance after going unsold.
Shaun Marsh (Australia): One of the most successful IPL openers. Won the first-ever Orange Cap. Can partner Shikhar Dhawan at the top for Hyderabad.
NET LOSS
Smith and Warner will now miss out on more than Rs 20 crore each by not playing for Australia and IPL over the next 12 months. This figure excludes amount lost in sponsorships.
Smith and Warner have lost IPL contracts worth A$2.4 million each. Smith was ‘retained’ by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 12 crore, while Warner too was held back by SRH for Rs 12.5 crore.

Article courtesy – Times of  India of 29.03.18

Disgraced Australia skipper Steve Smith and senior batsman David Warner were on Wednesday banned from toplevel cricket for a year over a cheating scandal that has rocked the sport and dragged their side’s reputation through the mud. Both players have also been ejected from this year’s IPL, losing contracts worth nearly $2 million each.
A statement from Cricket Australia (CA) said Smith and Warner had been suspended from “all international and domestic cricket” while opening batsman Cameron Bancroft has been banned for nine months over the ball-tampering incident during the third Test in South Africa.

A Cricket Australia (CA) spokesman said the players could still play at club level in Australia or in other countries. The CA statement said Smith and Bancroft would not be considered for team leadership positions until a minimum of 12 months after the end of their suspensions. All three players will also be required to undertake 100 hours of voluntary service in community cricket.
CA chief executive James Sutherland said: “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.” He said the national body would provide details of an independent review “into the conduct and culture of our Australian men’s team in due course”.
‘Warner will not captain Oz in future’
Declared the ‘plotter-in-chief’ in the balltampering scandal, David Warner will never be considered for captaincy after serving his oneyear ban, Cricket Australia has clarified. Following CA’s investigation into the infamous incident in Cape Town, it has come to light that Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft knew what they were getting into but it was Warner who developed the “plan to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball”. Smith still has a slim chance to captain Australia again but Warner will not be considered at all. “Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft will not be considered for team leadership positions until a minimum of 12 months after the conclusion of their respective suspensions from international and domestic cricket,” said CA. “Any consideration of future leadership would be conditional on acceptance by fans and the public, form and authority among the playing group. David Warner will not be considered for team leadership positions in the future,” it added.

Lehmann cleared after cover-up claims
Under-fire Australia coach Darren Lehmann had no knowledge of a ball-tampering plot by his two most senior players and allegations that he then led a cover-up are false, CA said. Former players have been calling for Lehmann’s head after television footage showed him sending a message out onto the field before Bancroft dropped the piece of sandpaper he was clandestinely using to rough up the ball down his trousers. But Sutherland said Lehmann was as surprised as the thousands of spectators in Cape Town when images showed Bancroft cheating.
“In Darren’s defence, I do want to clarify that matter,” Sutherland said on what Lehmann told 12th man Peter Handscomb via walky talky before he ran on the field to pass the coach’s message onto Bancroft. “He sent a message to say: ‘What the hell is going on?’ He didn’t use ‘hell’, he used another word. Darren wasn’t involved and didn’t know of the plan.” Sutherland also finally conceded “cheating” is an appropriate word to use to describe the scandal. AGENCIES
COACH WANTS FORGIVENESS
Johannesburg: Australia coach Darren Lehmann has apologised to the public and called for forgiveness for the “grave mistake”
made by Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. He promised a change in approach to the game from Australia, including boorish behaviour and playing contrary to the spirit of the game.
An emotional Lehmann said the banned players, were “not bad people” and called for them to be given a second chance.
“What happened on Saturday is not something that is acceptable from the Australian cricket team,” Lehmann told the Australian media. “There is a human side of this. These are young men and I hope people will give them a second chance. Their health is extremely important to us.”
CRICKET AUSTRALIA’S CHARGES IN FULL
STEVE SMITH
• Knew of a potential plan to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball
• Failed to take steps to seek to prevent the development and implementation of that plan
• Directed that evidence of attempted tampering be concealed on the field of play
• Sought to mislead match officials and others regarding Bancroft’s attempts to artificially alter the condition of the ball
• Made misleading public comments regarding the nature, extent and participants of the plan
DAVID WARNER
• Developed a plan to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball
• Instructed a junior player to take steps to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball using sandpaper
• Provided advice to a junior player regarding how a ball could be artificially altered including demonstrating how it could be done
• Failed to take steps to seek to prevent the development and/or implementation of the plan
• Failed to report his knowledge of the plan at any time prior to or during the match
• Misled match officials through the concealment of his knowledge of and involvement in the plan
• Failed to voluntarily report his knowledge of the plan after the match
CAMERON BANCROFT
• Knew of the existence of, and was being party to, the plan to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball using sandpaper
• Carried out instructions to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball
• Sought to conceal evidence of his attempts to artificially alter the condition of the ball
• Sought to mislead match officials and others regarding his attempts to artificially alter the condition of the ball
• Made misleading public comments regarding the nature, extent, implementation and participants of the plan
WHAT WILL THE THREE MISS?
• The fourth Test against South Africa, and five ODIs and one Twenty20 on a mini tour of England from on 13 June.
• Under the Future Tours Programme, Australia could play India, SA and Lanka between Oct 2018 and Jan 2019.
• They will all be eligible to play in the 2019 World Cup from 30 May to 14 July.
• The next Ashes series is also scheduled for the summer of 2019.
• Smith and Bancroft will not be considered for team leadership positions until a minimum of 12 months after the conclusion of their respective suspensions from international and domestic cricket. Any consideration of future leadership would be conditional on acceptance by fans and the public, form and authority among the playing group. Warner will not be considered for team leadership in the future.

Article Courtesy – Times of India of 29.03.18

TD Paine who will lead Australia against South Africa at Johannesburg, the final test which starts today will become the 31^st wicket keeper to lead a team in tests in the annals of test cricket. The career figures of the thirty captain wicket keepers are tabulated below.  The list does not contain the players who have deputized as captain in the middle of the test or remainder of the test.

No	Player	Team	Mat	Runs	HS	Bat Av	C	W	BBI	Bowl Av	5	Ct	St
1	WL Murdoch	Aus	1	59	49	29.50	0	–	–	–	–	2	0
2	JM Blackham	Aus	8	154	74	22.00	0	–	–	–	–	11	4
3	EA Halliwell	SAF	3	84	41	14.00	0	–	–	–	–	4	0
4	M Bisset	SAF	1	56	35	56.00	0	–	–	–	–	1	1
5	PW Sherwell	SAF	13	427	115	23.72	1	–	–	–	–	20	16
6	RT Stanyforth	Eng	4	13	6*	2.60	0	–	–	–	–	7	2
7	RK Nunes	Win	3	87	37	14.50	0	–	–	–	–	1	0
8	HB Cameron	SAF	9	384	69*	27.42	0	–	–	–	–	14	5
9	FCM Alexander	Win	18	466	70	22.19	0	–	–	–	–	65	5
10	Imtiaz Ahmed	Pak	4	174	86	21.75	0	–	–	–	–	8	3
11	BN Jarman	Aus	1	14	10	7.00	0	–	–	–	–	3	0
12	Wasim Bari	Pak	6	45	17	6.42	0	0	–	–	0	8	0
13	DL Murray	Win	1	21	21	21.00	0	–	–	–	–	3	0
14	IDS Smith	NZl	1	3	3	3.00	0	–	–	–	–	6	0
15	AJ Stewart	Eng	12	781	164	37.19	1	–	–	–	–	47	1
16	A Flower	Zim	16	1232	156	49.28	3	–	–	–	–	56	0
17	LK Germon	NZl	12	382	55	21.22	0	–	–	–	–	27	2
18	Rashid Latif	Pak	6	140	54*	20.00	0	–	–	–	–	31	1
19	Moin Khan	Pak	13	438	70	27.37	0	–	–	–	–	24	4
20	AC Gilchrist	Aus	6	305	104	33.88	1	–	–	–	–	30	0
21	Khaled Mashud	Ban	12	385	51	20.26	0	–	–	–	–	22	1
22	MV Boucher	SAF	4	95	37	19.00	0	–	–	–	–	17	0
23	RD Jacobs	Win	2	150	91*	150.00	0	–	–	–	–	9	0
24	T Taibu	Zim	10	674	153	37.44	1	1	1/27	27.00	0	22	0
25	MS Dhoni	Ind	60	3454	224	40.63	5	0	–	–	0	187	24
26	Mushfiqur Rahim	Ban	28	2014	200	42.85	4	–	–	–	–	60	5
27	BRM Taylor	Zim	1	40	33	20.00	0	–	–	–	–	1	0
28	BB McCullum	NZl	1	21	20	10.50	0	–	–	–	–	6	0
29	D Ramdin	Win	13	472	57	22.47	0	–	–	–	–	38	5
30	Sarfraz Ahmed	Pak	2	119	68	29.75	0	–	–	–	–	8	1

TD Paine will also become the fifth Australian wicket keeper batsman to lead Australia in tests. Others are – WL Mudroch, JM  Blackham, BN Jarman  and AC Gichrist.

No	Player	Team	Mat	Runs	HS	Bat Av	C	W	BBI	Bowl Av	5	Ct	St
1	WL Murdoch	Aus	1	59	49	29.50	0	–	–	–	–	2	0
2	JM Blackham	Aus	8	154	74	22.00	0	–	–	–	–	11	4
3	BN Jarman	Aus	1	14	10	7.00	0	–	–	–	–	3	0
4	AC Gilchrist	Aus	6	305	104	33.88	1	–	–	–	–	30	0

 

In an emotional media briefing, Lehmann says his decision is voluntary.

Australia coach Darren Lehmann said on Thursday he would step down after this week’s Test match against South Africa, partly because of abuse his family received over the ball-tampering scandal that has rocked the sport.
In an emotional media briefing, Mr. Lehmann said his decision was voluntary.
“This will be my last Test as head coach of the Australian cricket team,” he said. “Saying goodbye to the players was the toughest thing I have ever had to do.”
Mr. Lehmann, who was not was due to leave the job until after the 2019 Ashes series in England, is quitting despite being cleared of any role in the ball-tampering scandal.

Article Courtesy – The  Hindu of 30.03.18