David Warner has emerged as the central figure in Australian ball-tampering skulduggery that stretches back to this winter's Ashes.

Sportsmail understands that in a brazen act during the post-series drinks between the teams, Australia's vice-captain revealed his method of altering the ball's condition to a band of England's defeated players.

It revolves around the strapping the 31-year-old wears on the thumb and index finger of his left hand. Abrasive substances are then attached to the tape to rough up or dull one side of the ball — a crucial factor in promoting reverse swing.

David Warner has emerged as the central figure in Australian ball-tampering skulduggery

Sportsmail understands Aussie vice-captain told England players of his methods in the Ashes

Oddly, although Warner regularly wears the protective coverings while in the field, he removes them while batting.

Australia captain Steve Smith was banned for one match on Sunday and fined his entire match fee of £10,000 by the ICC after he admitted the 'leadership group' of his team were all in on the premeditated plan to cheat in the humiliating third Test loss to South Africa in Cape Town.

Earlier, on the eve of the fourth day's play, Smith and his deputy Warner stood down from their positions of responsibility, with Tim Paine taking over the captaincy.

Cameron Bancroft was also docked £7,500 and received three demerit points after television footage showed him holding a piece of yellow sticky tape and then hiding it down his trousers when he realised the cameras were on him.

In a press conference at the end of Saturday's play, Australia admitted Bancroft was illegally attempting to alter the ball's condition by applying it to its rough side, increasing the chances of it gathering dirt from the playing area.

However, despite a social media video of Bancroft emerging this weekend appearing to show him shoving sugar in his pockets during a break in play, he is no more than a patsy.

It revolves around the strapping Warner wears on the thumb and index finger of his left hand

Abrasive substances are then attached to the tape to rough up or dull one side of the ball

SO WHAT WERE WARNER AND CO UP TO DURING THE ASHES? These pictures underline the suggestion that David Warner was involved in altering the condition of the ball during the recent Ashes series. Australia’s vice-captain is said to have revealed his method to England players at the end of the series. It revolves around the strapping he wears on the thumb and index finger of his left hand (pictured during the final Ashes Test). Abrasive substances are then attached to the tape to rough up or dull one side of the ball. Oddly, Warner, who says he needs the strapping to protect his injured fingers and thumb, removes the strapping while batting. Cameron Bancroft was also implicated in Sydney. This picture appears to show the Aussie opener pocketing some sugar. Advertisement

Australia only switched to their eight-cap opening batsman as chief ball polisher for this match after Warner aroused suspicion in the second Test at Port Elizabeth, where a dressing-room attendant witnessed him putting sandpaper into his strappings.

Australia avoided detection during their 4-0 win series over Joe Root's England team earlier this winter — although the tourists were mystified as to how the home attack were able to produce such lavish reverse swing in comparison to that extracted by their own renowned exponents such as James Anderson and Chris Woakes, and at venues not routinely associated with it.

It was also noted that the ball regularly went to Warner between overs, a time when umpires are on the move and less aware of where it is being transferred.

Pressure is mounting on Cricket Australia to permanently axe Smith, Warner and coach Darren Lehmann — they have the power to impose lifetime bans — with their positions now untenable in the light of such a flagrant abuse of the ICC's code of conduct.

ICC chief executive David Richardson said: 'The decision made by the leadership group of the Australian team to act in this way is clearly contrary to the spirit of the game, risks causing significant damage to the integrity of the match, the players and the sport itself and is therefore 'serious' in nature.

WHO DID WHAT IN AUSTRALIA'S BALL-TAMPERING SCANDAL? Exactly who did what? Rookie opener Cameron Bancroft has been fined 75 per cent of his match fee and handed three demerit points by the International Cricket Council after being charged with attempting to change the condition of the ball, contravening Law 41.3. He admitted doing so by using some sticky tape from the team's kit bag, sticking 'granules' from the pitch to it and using it as an abrasive surface to scuff the ball in pursuit of reverse swing. Captain Steve Smith said he and the 'leadership group' had discussed and agreed the action. He stood down for the rest of the Test along with vice-captain David Warner, was handed a one-match suspension by the ICC and fined 100 per cent of his match fee. Who else was in this leadership group? Smith did not expand on that, but in the past Australia have indicated senior bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were part of their decision-making unit. Tim Paine's promotion as temporary skipper seems to absolve him. Head coach Darren Lehmann is an obvious authority figure but Smith insists he was not involved on this occasion. Does that check out? Lehmann did appear to speak to 12th man Peter Handscomb via walkie-talkie after TV images caught Bancroft red-handed. Handscomb later spoke to Bancroft, who proceeded to hide the tape down the front of his trousers. Explanations will be required. Why was no on-field sanction taken? First of all, Bancroft appeared to deceive the umpires by showing them the holder for his sunglasses instead of his ad-hoc sandpaper. Secondly, his attempts to change the ball simply appeared to be unsuccessful. The umpires looked at the ball and did not take the chance to replace it. Had they done so they could have levied five penalty runs against Australia. Do they deserve some credit for fronting up? Not particularly. Even after their plot was uncovered by cameras they made a clear attempt to put the officials off the scent on the field. Only after their guilt was established beyond any serious doubt did Smith and Bancroft appear before the media. Others may not have faced the music quite like that, but others may not have put themselves in that position in the first place. How has Australia's recent behaviour been other than this? To sum up, they are not a popular bunch. They are regarded as the game's most inveterate, though far from only, sledgers. Despite this they have attempted to position themselves as guardians of 'the line' - a concept they used against South Africa in this ill-tempered series. Their reaction to England's disciplinary lapses in the Ashes - notably when Bancroft and Smith gave a jovial press conference on the subject of Jonny Bairstow's 'headbutt' greeting - saw them lobbing rocks from a sizeable glass house. Have they done this before? Smith was quick to emphasise this was a regrettable first-time offence but scepticism is natural. It could be argued previous transgressions would have been picked up in just the way this one was, but that is unlikely to prevent people poring over footage of recent series, including the Ashes. By Rory Dollard, Press Association Sport Advertisement

Warner regularly wears the protective coverings in the field, but removes them while batting

Pressure is mounting on Cricket Australia to axe Steve Smith, Warner and Darren Lehmann

'As captain, Steve Smith must take full responsibility for the actions of his players and it is appropriate that he be suspended.

'The game needs to have a hard look at itself. In recent weeks we have seen incidents of ugly sledging, send-offs, dissent against umpires' decisions, a walk-off, ball-tampering and some ordinary off-field behaviour.'

England are far from exempt when it comes to off-field issues but insiders remain adamant that Lehmann, Smith and Warner were in cahoots to make the most of the bizarre Jonny Bairstow headbutt incident with Bancroft before the series and a baseless accusation of ball-tampering against Anderson during the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

Now the heat is on the controversial Warner, who missed the start of the 2013 Ashes after a Cricket Australia ban for striking Root in a Birmingham nightspot.

He was publicly critical when South Africa captain Faf du Plessis was charged with ball-tampering for applying sticky saliva from a lolly during the 2016-17 series between the countries.

He said: 'We hold our heads high and I would be very disappointed if one of our team members did that.'