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Cape Town - Cricket Australia is satisfied that Australia coach Darren Lehmann was not part of last weekend’s ball-tampering scandal at Newlands.
READ: Warner the man behind #SandpaperGate
Following a Cricket Australia investigation, Australian captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were banned for one year, while opening batsman Cameron Bancroft - the man caught on television rubbing the ball with yellow sandpaper - was banned for nine months.
The investigation, which was headed by CA’s head of integrity Iain Roy, concluded that Lehmann had no knowledge of the ball-tampering incident.
Several pundits have expressed doubt over Lehmann’s innocence, especially after the coach was spotted on television relaying a message via walkie-talkie to Australian 12th-man, Peter Handscomb.
This took place shortly after Bancroft was exposed on the big screen at Newlands.
Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland addressed reporters in Johannesburg on Wednesday where he explained the incident involving Lehmann.
“In Darren’s defence I do want to just clarify that specific matter. He sent a message to say ‘what in hell is going on?’ - he didn't use 'hell', he used another word. That was, through Iain’s investigation, found to be the fact.
“And I wanted to make that point very clearly that Darren made those comments and Iain was certainly satisfied that Darren wasn’t involved and didn’t know anything of the plan.”
All three banned players were on their way home on Wednesday.
