Australia captain Steve Smith was today handed a one-match suspension and fined 100% of his match fee after he owned up to a ball-tampering conspiracy in South Africa on the third day of the third Test.
Australia captain Steve Smith was today handed a one-match suspension and fined 100% of his match fee after he owned up to a ball-tampering conspiracy in South Africa on the third day of the third Test.
Cricket Australia has also launched a probe into the matter and he is likely to lose the top job. As the controversy came to fore, he stepped down as the team captain for the remainder of the Test match which ended with South Africa's win.
David Warner also stepped down as the vice-captain of the team.
The controversy has spilled over in India as Smith is also the captain of Indian Premier League franchises Rajasthan Royals and his Warner leads the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The scandal gave way to speculations that the Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad could sack Smith and David as their respective captains.
When asked IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said, "The BCCI and Rajasthan Royals will like to wait. As of now, no decision will be taken either by the board or the franchise. Smith is an important player for Royals and is their skipper. It's only fair that they wait." The administrator, though, added this was a "matter of serious concern for all of us".
While Warner's franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad did not issue any statement, Smith's team Rajasthan Royals commented on the issue.
"We have been made aware of the controversy of ball tampering in the ongoing Australia-South Africa series and await further instructions from BCCI, before we make any announcement," said Ranjit Barthakur, executive chairman of Royals, in a statement.
"We at Rajasthan Royals will not tolerate any actions that are unfair by definition and bring disrepute to the game of cricket. Our Zero tolerance policy applies to everyone in our team. Please bear with us."
Even as the BCCI and Royals heaved a sigh of relief after Smith escaped with a mild punishment, there is a school of thought in BCCI that if Smith himself decides to quit captaincy, Royals should be okay with it as they have a ready replacement in Ajinkya Rahane.
In case Smith loses his captaincy, Royals will go with ahead with Rahane leading the team.
"Now the ball is completely in Rajasthan Royals' court. Yes, Smith was dishonest in allowing a youngster to tamper with the ball. He has set a very bad example but Rajasthan's plans revolve around Smith," a senior BCCI official told PTI today.
"We think Rajasthan will like to start with a clean slate without any controversy. So it would be easier if Smith decides to play as a batsman only and let someone else take over the mantle of captaincy," the official said.
India's Test vice-captain Rahane is also saleable as a brand -- a must for all IPL franchises.
Rahane was one of Royals' premier performer before they were banned for two years in the wake of the 2013 spot-fixing scandal.
(With PTI inputs)
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