A brief history of ball-tampering

If Smith’s demise is the one that has broken hearts in Australia, given the 28-year-old’s golden boy image and status as the world’s No 1 Test batsman, then Warner’s ascent back to international level is the hardest to envisage. The Test captaincy he has long coveted, something that prompted his trying to address his “Bull” persona, is now gone forever and at 31 a future career as a Twenty20 specialist may well be on the cards should he find any suitors. At board level Warner has few allies, having been the most vocal player during the pay dispute that rocked Australian cricket last year and having made threats that included strike action during the Ashes series that followed. Certainly the mood in the Australian camp appeared to turn against Warner during the investigation, with the seamers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc reported to have sought union help after he allegedly tried to incriminate them. With the three suspended players having now left the squad – Smith was seen embracing Bancroft in the hotel lobby before departure – Australia’s cricketers must somehow ready themselves for the final Test of a series they trail 2-1 under the new captaincy of their Tasmanian wicketkeeper, Tim Paine.