Australia captain Steve Smith's claims are being questioned by a teammate. Photo / Getty Images
Australia captain Steve Smith's claims are being questioned by a teammate. Photo / Getty Images
By James Matthey for news.com and AAP
Steve Smith's NSW and sometimes Australian teammate Moises Henriques believes the Australian skipper had no involvement in the ball tampering controversy and was likely only covering to protect a younger player.
Henriques questioned Smith's assertion the "leadership group" discussed the ploy at lunch, suggesting the 28-year-old may have made those comments without fully understanding the backlash that would follow.
The NSW all-rounder believes — although admitting it is only his opinion — while someone in the Aussie camp may have known what Cameron Bancroft was up to, it doesn't mean any senior players conspired to gain an illegal advantage and Smith's remarks at the ensuing press conference were made after "10 minutes of panic".
While Smith didn't name any players from the so-called "leadership group", it is believed to comprise players including Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon along with Smith and vice-captain David Warner.
Ps. Not saying no one was aware of Cameron doing it, just highly doubt there was a ‘senior players meeting’ to decide to cheat. I think it was the captain attempting to protect a young player. They had 10 mins of panic between end of play & press conference.
In my uneducated opinion, I dare say there was never a senior players meeting to discuss cheating - Smith made that up to take the heat of a young Cameron Bancroft not realising the outrage that would follow.
Warner and Smith both relinquished their leadership positions on day four of the third test in Cape Town in the aftermath of the scandal breaking and while Smith and Bancroft have been punished by the ICC, no other Australians have as yet been reprimanded.
Players like Hazlewood and Starc are allegedly upset at being linked to the controversy, with the Courier Mail reporting at least one of the fast bowlers is looking to contact the Australian Cricketers Association to demand Cricket Australia makes clear they were not involved.
Head of team performance Pat Howard and head of integrity Iain Roy both flew to South Africa and have begun their investigation into what actually happened, while Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland will arrive in South Africa today to be part of the probe.
Smith has been suspended from the fourth test starting in Johannesburg later this week while Warner's vice-captaincy also hangs in the balance, with the opener shaping as another enforced omission for the final test of the series.
The ICC didn't ban Bancroft, instead punishing his ball-tampering charge with a hefty fine and three demerit points, but CA may not be so forgiving. Bancroft carried out the plan on Saturday then attempted to hide the evidence from umpires, while Warner was allegedly one of the senior players involved in the initial discussion.
Did Smith lie to protect Cameron Bancroft? Moises Henriques thinks so. Photo / Photosport
Any player or member of support staff who conspired to use sticky tape in an illegal effort to scuff the ball at Newlands are also likely to be sanctioned. CA has the power to mete out lifetime bans from the sport but the governing body is unlikely to opt for such an extreme response.
Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) chief Alistair Nicholson is on deck in Cape Town, where a series of crisis talks are unfolding.
Tim Paine, who is set to lead Australia in the fourth Test, says Smith and Bancroft are "struggling" as the full extent of the backlash becomes clear.
"They're not great. It's been a horrible 24 hours, they're struggling but probably the reality and the enormity of what's happened is starting to sink in," Paine said after his team's 322-run loss at Newlands.
"I don't think we all would have expected this to be as big as it has been and particularly the fallout that we have seen from back home."
Paine is expected to formally become Australia's 46th test captain, having filled in when Smith and Warner stood down from their leadership roles for the rest of the third Test on Sunday.
The Tasmanian wouldn't be drawn on whether Smith and coach Darren Lehmann should continue in their posts.
Paine also wouldn't entertain the prospect of replacing Smith in a full-time capacity.
