Reports suggest CA to ban Smith, Warner for a year
What's the story
Since the ball tampering issue came to light in the recently concluded third Test between South Africa and Australia, troubles have been mounting for Steve Smith. According to reports, Cricket Australia could ban the skipper alongside his deputy David Warner for a year. Aussie coach Darren Lehmann too is set to be sacked. The committee is likely to give its verdict on Wednesday.
A new low
Smith fall from grace after ball tampering scandal became public
Nothing went well for Smith in the third Test, which the Australians lost badly. His admission that the leadership group knew about the ball tampering incident completely tarnished his image. To add to his, only 12 runs came from his bat. He was asked to resign from Australian captaincy besides being handed one Test ban and fined 100% match fee.
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Losing Royals captaincy in IPL was due
Smith stepped down from the captaincy of Rajasthan Royals. The Royals had retained Smith and named him captain in a whopping Rs. 12 crore deal. Losing captaincy has hit the brand value of the celebrated cricketer. All eyes will be on him during IPL 2018.
Keeping mum
Lehmann's silence a telling concern
Australia coach Darren Lehmann hasn't appeared in front of the media even once after the ball tampering scandal. Smith had earlier claimed that the coaching staff did not know about the scandal, but this is difficult to digest. Lehmann, who became coach in 2013, was supposed to manage the side till the ICC 2019 World Cup. But now it's all gone awry.
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What's next for Smith & Warner?
If CA ban them for a year, the duo would return home awaiting furious fans. Although they will be playing in IPL, the duo would miss a lot of action including a home series against India. Playing in 2019 World Cup would also be difficult.