Betrayal of sportsmanship and Test cricket tradition

Australia is not a nation of cheats, which is why we would rather see our Test team lose than to win by ball-tampering. Captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner had no alternative but to stand down from their leadership positions yesterday. They took the field in Cape Town under wicketkeeper Tim Paine as acting captain. On Saturday, opener Cameron Bancroft was charged with ball-tampering by the match referee.

It was stupid and shameless. Bancroft knew the plan was risky with “hundreds of cameras around’’. Fans can only wonder how often he, Smith and Warner have watched Test cricket and seen the close-up footage of players’ moves, from every angle. Even a casual glance revealed the bright yellow tape in Bancroft’s hand, which he attempted to hide when he realised the umpires were suspicious, by stuffing it down his pants. One of the points that rankles most is that the cheating, as Smith admitted, was discussed by the team’s leadership group at lunch, who authorised Bancroft, 25, their most inexperienced player, to carry it out.

In a tense series, Australia has appeared to be a team with a siege mentality. But blatant, premeditated cheating, not accepted by any cricketing nation in the world, was no solution. Former skipper Michael Clarke is right when he says: “We’ve got the best bowling attack in the world. We don’t need to cheat to beat anybody.” And Australian cricket is bigger than any individual. That’s why the positions of Smith and Warner were untenable. They must not resume leadership for the fourth Test in Johannesburg nor lead the team again.

From Malcolm Turnbull to the game’s youngest fans, Australians are bitterly disappointed in our most important sporting team, who have apparently lost sight of the reason they represent their country and the expectations their countrymen have of their conduct on the field.

Just two months ago, The Australian named Smith, 28, our Australian of the Year for mastering “the job many of his countrymen regard as the second-most important in the nation’’. We awarded him the honour not only for his Bradmanesque scores but because, we said “he embodies the qualities that define the Australian character at its best”. “He’s a team player as well as a leader, gracious in victory and defeat ... He treats others with respect.,’’ we said. “And unlike some modern sporting stars’, displays of ego and arrogance are not his style’’. We also praised his plain speaking — something Australian cricket needs now.

The sooner Cricket Australia and coach Darren Lehmann face the full gravity of the scandal, the sooner the team can set about restoring self-respect and pride in the baggy green, which will take years. Australian sports have the highest reputation for integrity, as Sport Minister Bridget McKenzie said yesterday. People watching sport need to have confidence in their athletes. In recent years, as cricket and other sports have been tainted by betting and drugs scandals, Australian Test cricket had seemed above the fray. That is where Australians want it to return, after this incident has been investigated properly.

It cannot be swept under the carpet. Nor should it be compared with Greg and Trevor Chappell’s notorious underarm bowling stunt against New Zealand in 1981. That unsporting gesture was against the spirit of the game but not illegal. This is both, a disgrace that will not be forgotten for a long time at home and around the world.