Ball tampering: Referee flagged up, du Plessis suspected foul play; updates

Steve Smith on Thursday took full responsibility for the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa that has left the reputation of the Australian team in tatters

The ball-tampering scandal involving the then Australian cricket team captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft saw another revelation on Friday, with reports emerging that the foul play should have come as no surprise. According to an AFP report, a match referee had, way back in 2016, warned Smith and Warner of "being involved in a ball-tampering incident" in the domestic Sheffield Shield.

The report came after Smith and Warner were stripped of their captaincy and vice-captaincy of the Australian cricket team and banned for a year from the sport after being caught up in a