The Cape Town Test has been under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The latest from the cricketing body International Cricket Council revealed Australian skipper Steven Smith had been suspended for a Test match.
Also, Smith was fined 100 percent match fee after terming the incident as ‘leadership group’ tactic.
The CEO of the ICC David Richardson happened to charge Smith. As per the ICC’s Code of Code under the Article 2.2.1 which is referred for Players and Player Support Personnel.
“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,” Richardson maintained in ICC’s release.
This automatically suggests Smith won’t take the field in the fourth and final Test in Johannesburg. The Test is slated between March 30 and April 3.
“As captain, Steve Smith must take full responsibility for the actions of his players and it is appropriate that he be suspended,” Richardson added.
However, the ball-temper Cameron Bancroft has escaped a ban, but the world cricket in its decisive action handed over a 75 percent match fee to the opening batsman. He was held responsible for breaching Level 2 of the Rules and Regulations set by the Board owing to the Article of 2.2.9. It eventually falls under the clause of 41.3.
Both players have accepted their sanctions respectively after being proposed by the match referee Andy Pycroft, who hails from Zimbabwe.
“That said, I acknowledge that Cameron has accepted responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty to the charge and apologising publicly,” Pycroft said.
The incident broke the internet on Saturday (March 24). The visuals appeared during the third day’s play of the penultimate Test in Cape Town.
Moreover, the right-handed batsman Bancroft was also handed the three demerit points.
“As a young player starting out in international cricket, I hope the lessons learned from this episode will strongly influence the way he plays the game during the rest of his career,” Pycroft concluded.
The New South Wales-based ace batsman Steven Smith had to pay the price after the public admission.
During the lunch session, TV cameras caught Bancroft while trying to alter the condition of the ball.
However, the on-field umpires; Nigel Llong and Richard Illingworth further intervened and quizzed Bancroft on the field. He happened to show them a piece of microfibre.
In between the TV footages, Bancroft appeared to hide a yellow object in his trousers. He further admitted that it was the yellow tape which he used to scuff the ball in between the overs.
Here’s the newsfeed:
Australian Sports Commission Behind Smith’s Immediate Stand Down as Captain
Reporters Caught in a Scuffle During James Sutherland’s Presser Over Ball-Tampering
