Sutherland ready to throw book at cheats

Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland will soon rule on the cheating scandal that has divided the national team.

Australian cricket captain Steve Smith.

Captain Steve Smith will soon learn his fate from Cricket Australia. Source: AAP

The cheating scandal has resulted in an ugly web of claim and counter-claim, with players turning on each other as Cricket Australia (CA) attempt to clean up the crisis and crack the cliques.

CA chief executive James Sutherland has arrived in Johannesburg and will soon finalise sanctions, with an announcement expected to come in the early hours of Wednesday morning (AEDT).

Disgraced captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner, who were mobbed by TV cameras at both Cape Town and Johannesburg airports, will soon learn their fate.

There is a chance Warner may never play for his country again, with some teammates furious about his reaction to the saga - which included drinking champagne on Monday.

Warner in turn feels let down by how some teammates have painted him as the architect of an illegal plan to scuff the ball with sticky tape.

The divide was laid bare when the opener left the side's organisational WhatsApp group, although he is now back in it.

Smith and Warner are expected to lose their leadership positions and cop long bans for their roles in the scandal. Cameron Bancroft, who carried out the plan to illegally scuff the ball with sticky tape, is also set to be punished.

Bans of 12 months would mean Smith and Warner miss the home summer of 2018-19 against India and Sri Lanka then will return for the World Cup and Ashes, both in England.

Coach Darren Lehmann is yet to resign but that may well happen when he fronts Sutherland in Johannesburg.

There is a sense among many players and support staff that Smith failed to eloquently express exactly what transpired in the conversation between himself, Warner and Bancroft.

Many feel deep sympathy for Smith, unhappy with the level of backlash and the fact it has been largely aimed at one man.

Senior bowlers in the side, having been implicated by Smith using the words "leadership group" in his explanation of the plan to cheat, are unhappy and expected to have their names cleared at Sutherland's press conference.

Sutherland and CA chairman David Peever, whose board is poised to rubber stamp Tim Paine's ascension as the nation's 46th Test captain, will make the ultimate decision on sanctions.

CA high-performance manager Pat Howard and head of integrity Iain Roy have completed a formal review and passed on what they know to Sutherland.

CA wants to punish those responsible for the illegal act but also offer support, recognising that Smith and Bancroft in particular are - in the words of Paine - "struggling".

CA's bigwigs, under incredible pressure to improve the team's image and culture from sponsors and fans, are likely to throw the book at anybody involved in the scandal.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is among those demanding action.

"They now have to make sure that this great, national game ... that is synonymous with fair play, is once again a game that is played by champions that everybody can look up to," Mr Turnbull said.

Matthew Renshaw is making a dash from the Sheffield Shield final in Brisbane to Johannesburg via Dubai, but the fourth Test is currently the least of Sutherland's concerns.


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Source: AAP


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Sutherland ready to throw book at cheats | SBS News