Under-fire Australia cricket captain Steve Smith and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft should have been sent home immediately from the ill-fated tour of South Africa, the Australian Sports Commission chief says.
The ball-tampering saga which came to light on day three of the third Test against South Africa has rocked the cricket world.
ASC chairman John Wylie says there are much larger issues at play as "this is about integrity in sport".
"Frankly, we believe that Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft should have been on the first plane home yesterday," Wylie told ABC Radio on Monday.
"If an athlete had been representing Australia in an Olympic Games and they had brought the country and the team into disrepute, that's what would have happened to them.
"We think it's right and appropriate that Cricket Australia does take decisive action, further action beyond what the International Cricket Council has done to ensure that Australians are proud of their cricket team ... "
Smith has been slapped with a one-Test ban by the International Cricket Council and will miss the series finale that starts in Johannesburg on Friday.
Bancroft received a hefty fine and three demerit points for his part in the illegal practice.
Cricket Australia have sent integrity chief Iain Roy and team performance manager Pat Howard to Cape Town to investigate the circumstances behind Saturday's incident.
Bancroft was caught using tape to interfere with the ball during the Test at Newlands before Smith admitted the team's leadership group agreed to the idea at an explosive press conference.
CA are expected to interview the entire team and coaching staff before delivering its sanctions.
Wylie says it is important for the right decisions to be made to protect the game in Australia.
"Most importantly to ensure that all the young kids who play cricket and look up to the Australian cricket team as role models are proud of those players," he said.
"Australians won't tolerate cheating of any kind in sport and particularly by international representatives and particularly by the captain of the Australian cricket team."
