Coach Darren Lehmann says he fears for the mental health of the three players caught up in the ball-tampering furore, after Cricket Australia (CA) announced a 12-month ban for Steve Smith and David Warner and a nine-month suspension for Cameron Bancroft.

Key points: David Warner will not be considered for team leadership positions in the future

David Warner will not be considered for team leadership positions in the future All three players will be suspended from all international and and domestic cricket

All three players will be suspended from all international and and domestic cricket James Sutherland said sandpaper was used to alter the condition of the ball

Lehmann spoke to the media in South Africa after CA confirmed Warner would not be considered for team leadership positions in the future and Smith and Bancroft would not be considered for leadership positions for a minimum of 12 months after their suspensions.

All three players will be suspended from all international and domestic cricket, and have to undertake 100 hours of voluntary service in community cricket.

They will be permitted to play club cricket and will be encouraged to do so to maintain links with the cricket community, the statement said.

CA's statement said Warner instructed Bancroft "to carry out a plan to take steps to attempt to alter the condition of the ball using sandpaper".

CA boss James Sutherland said he understood sandpaper was often in the dressing room or in the players' kit bags to look after their cricket bats.

He said Lehmann "was not in any way involved in the incident", and he was satisfied with him continuing as coach.

"I want to say that he [Lehmann] sent a message to say, 'what in the hell is going on'. He didn't say that, [he] used another word.

"But that was found to be ... Darren was not involved and didn't know anything."

Sorry, this video has expired Steve Smith, David Warner receive 12 months bans, Bancroft nine months

Lehmann confirmed he would not resign and said "the first I saw it [ball tampering] it was on that screen".

He said he was "pretty confident it hasn't happened before", and although the team understood the enormity of the situation the players were "good young men, they've made a mistake".

"[I'm] disappointed, embarrassed, hurt for the game. I worry about the three guys immensely. We love all our players and they're going through a really tough time," he said.

Lehmann said the training in South Africa would commence again.

"We're not going to be 100 per cent mentally right; but again, we're representing our country."

Sydney conference to be 'a public execution'

Sorry, this video has expired ABC chief cricket commentator Jim Maxwell speaks with 7.30's Leigh Sales.

Smith was seen at Johannesburg airport on Wednesday en route back to Australia.

ABC cricket commentator Jim Maxwell said Smith had "been told he must front a media conference in Sydney".

"So it's going to be a bit of a public execution that one. I don't know if Warner will be appearing somewhere, but the captain bears the responsibility."

Smith and Warner have both also been ditched from the Indian Premier League (IPL) for 2018.

IPL commissioner Rajiv Shukla said the pair would not be allowed to play in the wake of Cricket Australia's ban.

Warner and Smith were each on a $2.5 million contract to play in the competition, which begins next month.

Warner was captain of the Hyderabad Sunrisers while Smith was meant to skipper the Rajasthan Royals side.

It is the latest blow to their commercial interests in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal.

Former Test player Ed Cowan questions team culture

Ed Cowan, who played 18 Tests for Australia, said if CA was serious about conducting a culture and behaviour review it needed to look at the team's coach and high performance manager.

"For the last couple of days, I think, this rests on them as much as it does the players," he said.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not excusing the behaviour of the players, but I think there's more to come out in terms of the actual facts and we'll get that. But if you're looking at the culture of the team, you need to be looking at the head.

"The team's culture is not one befitting of the Australian cricket team.

"We've seen people get in scraps off the field. We've seen guys give send-offs, we've seen sledging.

"This aggressive nature of the team says so much about them and it is almost the straw that has broken the camel's back.

"To win back the public, to have a team that we love, we can't just suspend three players. It needs to be a complete overhaul so the public can then reinstate their faith in this cricket team they love — and they want to."

He said the human cost would be huge.

"Make no mistake, what particularly Steve Smith is about to walk back into in Australia, in a sense I feel sorry for them," he said.

"And then [there will be] huge flow-on effects and the public trust, and that's why the culture of the team has to change. This is the moment."