Smith, Warner could face lifetime bans

Australian captain Steve Smith could be facing a lifetime ban from the game following the ball tampering scandal that has overshadowed the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

The ICC has handed Smith a one-match suspension, ruling him out of the final match of the tour, however the punishment from Cricket Australia is expected to be much stronger.

The Cricinfo website reports that CA’s code of behaviour allows for a life ban for anyone caught cheating.

CA’s head of integrity Iain Roy and head of high performance Pat Howard have travelled to South Africa to begin an immediate investigation into the events surrounding the crisis, with the focus falling on Smith and deputy David Warner.

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» Michael Clarke's fear for Steve Smith

» Questions raised about Lehmann's role

» Ball tampering crisis: Full coverage

The involvement or otherwise of coach Darren Lehmann is also expected to come under close scrutiny.

Any charge brought by CA that includes conduct contrary to the spirit of the game would be covered by a clause that reads “any conduct that is considered 'unfair play' under Rule 42 of the Laws of Cricket or against the spirit in which the game of cricket should be played”.

A player found guilty of a breach of this section of the code of conduct can be subject to a life ban, with “the seriousness of the breach” and “the harm caused by the breach to the interests of cricket” taken into account.

ICC chief executive David Richardson has also weighed in, saying the decision to suspend Smith was more than justified.

“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,” Richardson said. 

“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.

“The ICC needs to do more to prevent poor behaviour and better police the spirit of the game, defining more clearly what is expected of players and enforcing the regulations in a consistent fashion. In addition, and most importantly, Member countries need to show more accountability for their teams' conduct. Winning is important but not at the expense of the spirit of the game which is intrinsic and precious to the sport of cricket. We have to raise the bar across all areas.”