Sparks fly when Australia and South Africa play. The last series held in South Africa four years ago was marred by ugly sledging from both sides. Australia's request on the eve of the first Test for the stump mics to be turned down between balls and overs was a sign the verbal barrage they had inflicted upon England in the home summer would be repeated. They did not want their occasional swearing to be picked up but others believed the move was designed to give them free rein to chirp. One match official was heard to utter that it was only Australia that cares about this sort of stuff. You did not need the microphone on when the first flash point of the series came. The pictures of David Warner's tirade towards Proteas opener Aiden Markram told a thousand words. Markram was being told in no uncertain terms he had just run out the team's best batsman, A.B. de Villiers. As de Villiers laid sprawled at the non-striker's end, the third man out in a top-order collapse, Nathan Lyon dropped a ball unnecessarily close to the dismissed batsman, costing him 15 per cent of his match fee for conduct "contrary to the spirit of the game". Charged by referee: Nathan Lyon drops the ball in the direction of de Villiers. Credit:AP The Proteas recovered to make a game of it but were still soundly beaten. The focus should have been on Australia's dominant victory. Instead, the scrutiny was on the visitors' ugly behaviour.

A now infamous video of the two teams walking up the stairs to the pavilion had been leaked to South African media outlet Independent Media. Again, it was Warner. And again, no sound was needed. The enraged vice-captain was repeatedly restrained by teammates as he attempted to confront Proteas wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock over a vulgar slur he had made about Warner's wife Candice. Both men were charged for bringing the game into disrepute but Warner's offence was graded higher. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Behind the scenes, the Australians suspected the Proteas were behind the leak. The seeds of distrust had been sowed. Their disconnect to the outside world was growing. The moral high ground could have been with Australia but wasn't. Instead, the team was being widely criticised for being self-appointed moral arbiter over what was acceptable on the field. They drew a shifting line to suit themselves and the opposition had to move accordingly.

As Smith's team arrived at St George's Park for the start of the second Test, the Cricket Australia board was drawing their own metaphorical line. The nine directors had grown tired of seeing their players pushing the boundaries. There had not been any specific incident which had upset them but rather a gradual build up: a send off here, an f-bomb caught on camera. They were all consistent to the image of the "ugly Australians" that had plagued the team since the turn of the century. "Fans expect better": Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland. Credit:AP It was time to remind the players how to behave while wearing the baggy green. The Spirit of the Game was invoked, urging respect for the opposition. "Unfortunately neither team met this standard in Durban. The Australian team understands that fans expect better," said the statement, which was attributed to chief James Sutherland but came from above him.

"Australia has always prided itself on taking a highly competitive approach to international cricket. This will not change, however CA is confident that what occurred in Durban will remain an aberration. "Under the period of the current team leadership, Australian players have received fewer sanctions under the ICC Code of Conduct than players from the majority of the nine top-ranked Test playing nations. "CA is confident that the rest of the series in South Africa will be remembered for enthralling cricket played in the right spirit by both teams." This confidence was misplaced. Australia had heeded the message, only to forget it a fortnight later. Siege mentality

The Australians were about to have two more reasons to feel like they were getting dudded. In an ugly postscript to de Kock's stairwell slur, two Cricket South Africa executives were pictured alongside three men wearing Sonny Bill Williams masks on day one in Port Elizabeth. The masks had been brought into the ground in an attempt to ridicule Warner. Embarrassing: Clive Eksteen and Altaaf Kazi posing with spectators wearing Sonny Bill Williams masks during the second Test. The events on the field were no better for the team. Defeat beckoned. Firebrand quick Kagiso Rabada had destroyed Australia's batting, not once but twice, taking 11 wickets. De Villiers was winning the battle of the wonderbats, defying the bowler-friendly conditions and Australia's vaunted attack for a blazing century.

In most major codes played in Australia, Rabada's shoulder tap on Smith would not have raised an eyebrow. Cricket, however, is not a contact sport. Rabada, the son of a doctor and a town planner, should have known this. He had form. In February last year, he was fined 50 per cent of his match fee and handed three demerit points for a shoulder shove on Sri Lanka's Niroshan Dickwella. He was up to five demerit points by the time he was reported in Port Elizabeth. His bump on Smith would take his tally to eight - enough for a two-Test suspension. He was out of the series unless he could overturn the level two charge. South Africa's Kagiso Rabada celebrates after taking a wicket in the second Test. Credit:AP The nine-day break before the third Test gave the tourists plenty of time to be just that. It had been a difficult fortnight. Even little things were going wrong. Three players had wanted to take advantage of the early finish in Durban to leave ahead of schedule but their flight was continually delayed. Eventually, they gave up, hauling their bags and kits back to the team hotel. There had also been a gastro outbreak. Mitchell Marsh was sick the first day and coach Darren Lehmann also caught the bug. They all took some time off. Warner and his family went on safari. Smith and his fiancee Dani Willis visited a retreat. Coach Darren Lehmann wanted to see Robben Island but was denied by weather. Cameron Bancroft climbed Table Mountain and went shark diving. For him, there would be more highs and lows to come.

Cameron Bancroft was seen to hide the object down the front of his underpants before walking over to the umpires. Credit:AP It did not take long for the camp to be snapped back into reality. While the Australians played, the Proteas worked on freeing Rabada, arguing his penalty was excessive compared to other incidents. Events in the cricket world were playing into their hands. They seized upon the one-demerit point penalty handed to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh players after they nearly came to blows during a Twenty20 match in Colombo. How then could Rabada get triple that and miss two Tests for what du Plessis described as a "shirt flick" on Smith? The Proteas, however, were still backing a longshot - the ICC rarely overturns its decisions - but sometimes longshots win. The odds had tumbled as the hearing headed into a sixth hour.

Loading Advocate Dali Mpofu, SC, one of the country's most high-profile lawyers, had planted enough doubt in the mind of the ICC's New Zealand-based judicial commissioner Michael Heron, QC, for him to be "comfortably satisfied" the contact was unintentional. Rabada was free to play. This was another slap in the face to the Australians. That Smith was not called to give evidence raised further suspicion the deck had been stacked. What had been Australia against South Africa was now Australia against the world. Smith, who had been criticised for staging by a "hacker" using Proteas paceman Vernon Philander's Twitter account, was furious. "The ICC have set the standard, haven't they? There was clearly contact out in the middle," Smith said. "I certainly won't be telling my bowlers to go out there and after you take a wicket go and get in their space. I don't think that is on and part of the game. But the standard has been set."

What had been Australia against South Africa was now Australia against the world. On match eve, Smith posted on social media a team photo at Newlands with the stunning Table Mountain in the backdrop. This venue has played host to some famous chapters in the Australia-South Africa rivalry. It was here where a Clarke-led Australia was skittled for 47. Four years ago, they capped off an Ashes-winning summer by clinching a memorable decider in the final half hour of the last day. The beautiful surrounds was in contrast to the ugliness that was to come. There was distrust from both sides. A rabid crowd added to the tension and a sense of injustice among the Australians. Lehmann's branding of the fan behaviour as "disgraceful" drew ridicule among those who remembered how he urged Australian crowds to turn on Stuart Broad. The beginning of the end

Four years ago, it was Australia that was sceptical of the Proteas' management of the ball. Now it was the opposite. Former South African star Fanie de Villiers, now working as a commentator, revealed the cameramen, when they were not scanning for scantily clad women in the crowd, had been instructed to keep their eye on the ball. It took them "an hour and half until they saw something". That something was Bancroft using what we now know to be sandpaper to scuff up one side of the ball. There was disbelief when Bancroft, in a panic, attempted to hide the sandpaper in his jocks. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video There is conjecture as to what exactly happened in the hours either side of this incident but what's not is the numerous sliding door moments on the day.

How Smith and Bancroft came to speak to the media should be reviewed, according to the players union, which is critical of CA's handling of the jaw-dropping press conference. There are several versions doing the rounds of what happened, and why Lehmann didn't address the media, but ultimately it was Smith and Bancroft who faced the music. Some will now wonder how it would have played out for Smith had he avoided the cameras. Australia opener Cameron Bancroft and captain Steve Smith admit to ball tampering. Credit:YouTube The more relevant question is how Smith allowed the ball-tampering to happen in the first place. Smith did not address this during his emotion-charged mea culpa on Thursday night. Loading

CA's own investigation found Warner to be the ring leader, Bancroft the mule and Smith the leader who turned a blind eye. Lehmann was cleared, his incredulous walkie-talkie message of "What the f--- is going on?" proof in the eyes of CA's head of integrity Iain Roy that he had no part. Fairfax Media understands Lehmann has also told close friends he was not aware of the plot, though many disagree. Doubters also question if it was a three-man conspiracy. It's believed there were enough variations in the players' stories of innocence to convince Roy there was no mass cover up. What should have been a series to savour for the high-octane bowling of Rabada and the Australian pacemen, and the skill of de Villiers, will instead go down as one of the most notorious chapters in modern cricket. The aggression displayed by Australia since the lead in to the Ashes had turned to tears by this week. Smith stood down from the captaincy and was banned from international and domestic cricket for 12 months by Cricket Australia. Warner stood down as vice-captain and was banned for a year, and Bancroft for nine months. Lehmann resigned as coach late on Thursday night. The wounds from this damaging episode will heal eventually, and the lessons hopefully learned from this story of hubris, mistrust and hypocrisy. There were numerous warning signals, all ignored.