
Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft have all been hit with career-changing bans as the extent of their lies and deception during the Australian ball-tampering scandal became clear.

On another breathless day in South Africa all three were found guilty by their board of misleading match officials during the third Test in Cape Town. Smith and Bancroft then lied to the media, claiming sticky-tape had been used to change the condition of the ball. In fact, it was sandpaper.

Both Smith, heckled with cries of 'cheat' as he got a police escort through Johannesburg airport en route to Sydney, and Warner – his former vice-captain and the architect of the plot – have been kicked out of the game for 12 months. Coach Darren Lehmann said he feared for the players 'mentally'.

Steve Smith pictured arriving at Johannesburg Airport ahead of flying back to Australia, after he and David Warner were banned for 12 months. Cameron Bancroft received nine

Smith did not wear official Cricket Australia gear as he had when travelling to Johannesburg with team-mates 24 hours earlier

Smith was afforded a heavy police escort as he made his way out of South Africa on Wednesday after being sent home

Smith looked in sombre mood, wearing a baseball cap and a plain white T-shirt, as he faced up to his 12-month ban

Smith is pictured being driven away from Australia's team hotel in Johannesburg after learning of his punishment

Smith was pictured en route to the airport as he got set to fly back home to Australia, where he will face the media

Smith was pictured embracing a woman at Australia's team hotel in Johannesburg on Wednesday as he got ready to leave

Cameron Bancroft (left) and Smith pictured together before departing back to Australia after their part in the scandal

Bancroft was pictured in a baseball cap at the team hotel after learning of his nine-month ban for ball-tampering

PROBE'S KEY FINDINGS Cricket Australia's probe into the ball tampering plot by Australian players during the third Test against South Africa has revealed even more astonishing details about the situation. Though it was previously believed that Cameron Bancroft used tape to pick up dirt to be rubbed against the ball, it has been confirmed by officials that sandpaper was utilised to roughen it. The probe also found Warner found responsible for 'development of a plan to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball', and 'instruction to a junior player to carry out a plan'. It has led to him being told he will never be considered for a captaincy position in the national side again. Steve Smith was banned on the basis that he knew about the plan but failed to prevent it from being carried out, as well as directing Bancroft to hide the sandpaper in his trousers. All three were found to have attempted to have lied about what happened to match officials after they were caught out on TV cameras. Advertisement

Warner has been barred from holding a leadership position again – and may have played international cricket for the last time.

Smith has been disqualified from the captaincy for two years: when Australia defend the Ashes in England in 2019, he will not be at the helm.

Both have been banned from this year's IPL by the Indian board, missing out on contracts worth £2.6m between them, though they are currently free to play other overseas domestic cricket and grade cricket in Australia.

Bancroft, meanwhile, has been banned for nine months. Both he and Warner have lost their sponsorship deals with sports-equipment company Asics, while all three players will undergo 100 hours of 'voluntary service in community cricket'.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland described the trio as 'very sad and disappointed and remorseful for what has happened'. It is a staggering fall from grace.

But, to widespread disbelief, Sutherland continued to exonerate Lehmann, insisting his now infamous walkie-talkie chat with Peter Handscomb had been to ask Australia's 12th man 'what in the hell is going on' after TV cameras rumbled Bancroft's wrongdoing. Reports suggested Lehmann's language had been rather fruitier.

Later in the day, Lehmann finally broke his silence. 'The players have made a grave mistake but they are not bad people,' he said. 'There is a human side to this. I hope people will give them a second chance. I worry about the three guys mentally.

'We know we have let so many people down. We are truly sorry. There is a need for us to change the way we play. We need to work to bring the respect back from the fans.'

Not everyone agreed with the severity of the punishment. Shane Warne admitted the revelations had been 'embarrassing', but argued: 'The jump to hysteria is something that has elevated the offence beyond what they actually did, and maybe we're at a point where the punishment just might not fit the crime.'

Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland addressed the gathered media outside the team hotel in Johannesburg

Sutherland revealed details of the results of Cricket Australia's investigation into the events during the third Test

Smith has been banned for one year after Australia's ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in the Cape Town Test match

Bancroft has been suspended for nine months for using sandpaper to rough up the ball during play on the third day

Former vice-captain David Warner has also been hit with a 12-month ban for concocting the plan on Saturday afternoon

Smith admitted to deliberately attempting to change the condition of the ball in a press conference after play on Saturday

Cameron Bancroft was seen running his hand over the ball, before removing a yellow object from his pocket - revealed on Wednesday to be sandpaper - and placing it down the front of his trousers

Bancroft and Smith owned up to ball-tampering after the end of play on day three in a now-infamous press conference

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And even Michael Vaughan, who has led the mockery of Australia's plight on social media, tweeted: 'Steve Smith I think is a good guy who made a huge mistake. He needed punishing but I think this is too harsh. Bancroft, who I don't know, was led astray but deserved punishing but again too harshly. The other guy I really don't care about.'

Yet the wording of CA's statement made it clear that the players had either withheld the truth or lied altogether – despite Smith and Bancroft earning praise in some quarters for owning up during Saturday evening's press conference.

Smith, who three months ago was the toast of Australia after leading his side to Ashes glory, was found guilty by the head of CA's integrity unit Iain Roy of knowing about the ball-tampering plan but doing nothing to stop it.

Worse, he was part of an on-field conversation between Bancroft and umpires Richard Illingworth and Nigel Llong in which the Australian opener – having stuffed the sandpaper down the front of his trousers – appeared to claim that the only object he was carrying was a black cloth for cleaning sunglasses.

Finally, Smith had made 'misleading public comments regarding the nature, extent and participants of the plan' – a reference to his claim that the team's leadership group knew what was happening.

That enraged the other members of that group, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, none of whom have been implicated.

But the most serious condemnation was reserved for Warner, who was charged with a variety of offences, including concocting the plan in the first place, 'instruction of a junior player' to carry it out, then attempting to conceal his involvement.

In a phrase that did not immediately tally with CA's claims that the Cape Town incident was a one-off, he was also guilty of 'provision of advice to a junior player regarding how a ball could be artificially altered, including demonstrating how it could be done'.

Sandpaper, said Sutherland, was a regular part of players' kitbags, used to smooth down their bats.

It is understood that Warner, who is set to lose his lucrative sponsorship deal with Korean electronics firm LG, may appeal against the ruling. For now, he is persona non grata, with his board, his team-mates and opponents.

Jonathan Trott, the former England batsman who was mocked by Warner for having 'scared eyes' during the Brisbane Test of 2013-14, spoke for many when he tweeted 'Goodbye David,' accompanied by the image of a waving hand.

Sutherland himself played down suggestions that his own job was under threat, but did attempt to address the question of whether the players had cheated, having sidestepped it during his press conference on Tuesday evening.

'I think under the code it specifically refers to these practices in which we have made the charges and offered the sanctions as "cheating".

'People want to use their own words, but cheating is certainly one of them that is probably appropriate in the circumstances.'

Were the three players liars? 'Again, if you go to the release, it specifically mentions concern as to some of the comments that were made, and not being totally transparent,' he said.

'There was an element of courage in owning up to what happened, but there was also unfortunately an element of mistruth in that process, and they were things that were taken into consideration.'

Sutherland added: 'Clearly this has caused a huge amount of damage for the game of cricket as a whole, and certainly Australian cricket, and it's compromised the fans' confidence and faith in cricket.

'It's really our responsibility – players, administrators, coaches and others – to restore that faith and confidence.

'There are millions and millions of Australians that love the game of cricket and our job is to continue to inspire young people to love the game.'

The pair will be available for selection again for next year's Ashes when Australia look to retain the urn back in England

Smith and Warner have also been hit by IPL bans, losing their £1.3m contracts at Rajasthan Royals and SunRisers Hyderabad