Australian cricket coach quits amid scandal

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Australian cricket coach Darren Lehman has announced that he will quit at the end of the fourth test against South Africa, the latest casualty of a ball-tampering scandal.

Skipper Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner have both lost their positions and been banned for 12 months and batsman Cameron Bancroft for nine months during a turbulent week for the sport.

During the third Test in Cape Town, television footage caught Bancroft taking a piece of sandpaper out of his pants pocket before rubbing the ball, in contravention of the laws of the game.

The Aussies were branded as cheats who were tampering with the ball to try to gain an unfair advantage.

Smith apologized to the nation for the incident during a tearful news conference in Sydney on Thursday that the coach said led to his own decision to resign.

"After seeing media events today with Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft, the feeling is that Australian cricket needs to move forward and this is the right thing to do," Lehmann told reporters ahead of the Johannesburg test. "I really felt for Steve and as I saw him crying in front of the media and all the players are really hurting."

Australian coach Darren Lehman hits the ball during an Australian team net session. /‍VCG file photo

As expected at the pre-match news conference, South African captain Faf du Plessis fielded more questions about the scandal than about the final test at the Wanderers, but the Proteas skipper said he was sympathetic towards the beleaguered Australian captain and had reached out to him before his unceremonious departure back to Australia.

The Proteas will field the same 11 that demolished Australia by 322 runs in Cape Town and du Plessis feels that despite what has transpired with their opponents, his charges will be going all out rewrite the history books at a venue that has not been a happy hunting ground in the past.

Team Australia will be led by wicketkeeper Tim Paine.