Amid ball-tampering row, Smith-Warner stand down from captaincy roles

In a major development ahead of the start of day 4 of Cape Town Test, disgraced captain Steve Smith along with the vice-captain David Warner have stepped aside from their respective leadership roles for the remainder of the third Test.

New Delhi: In a major development ahead of the start of day 4 of Cape Town Test, disgraced captain Steve Smith along with the vice-captain David Warner have stepped aside from their respective leadership roles for the remainder of the third Test. Wicket-keeper batsman Tim Paine will lead the remainder of the ongoing Test against South Africa and both Steve Smith and David Warner will take to the field on Sunday under Tim’s captaincy. Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland revealed the latest development via a press release stating that the action has been taken in response to the ball-tampering confessions made by the captain on Saturday afternoon. “Following discussions with Steve Smith and David Warner they have agreed to stand down as Captain and Vice-Captain respectively for the remainder of this Test match. This Test match needs to proceed, and in the interim we will continue to investigate this matter with the urgency that it demands. As I said earlier today, Cricket Australia and Australian cricket fans expect certain standards of conduct from cricketers representing our country, and on this occasion these standards have not been met. All Australians, like us, want answers and we will keep you updated on our findings, as a matter of priority,” Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said via press release. 11-Test old Tim Paine has been appointed to lead the side for the remainder of the third Test. On the appointment of Tim, Chairman of Cricket Australia David Peever said, “The Board of Cricket Australia has endorsed Tim Paine to step in as Acting Captain for the remainder of this Test. Both Steve and David will take to the field today under Tim’s captaincy. The Board fully supports the process for an immediate investigation into what occurred in Cape Town.  We regard this as a matter of the utmost seriousness and urgency. We will ensure we have all information available to make the right decisions for Australian Cricket.”