Australian skipper Steven Smith and opener David Warner stand down as Australia’s captain and vice-captain, respectively, for the remainder of the third Test match of the four-match Test series in Cape Town, Cricketer Australia CEO James Sutherland has said in a statement.

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SMITH, WARNER STAND DOWN!

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The Australian duo will continue to take the field in Cape Town, under the captaincy of Tim Paine.

READ ➡ https://t.co/e0NobVG3Zl pic.twitter.com/28SrkiiKHb

— ICC (@ICC) March 25, 2018

“BREAKING – Steven Smith and David Warner to stand down as Australia’s captain and vice-captain respectively for the remainder of the third #SAvAUS Test in Cape Town – CA CEO James Sutherland says in a statement,” read the Tweet from the official Twitter handle of International Cricket Council (ICC).

BREAKING – Steven Smith and David Warner to stand down as Australia’s captain and vice-captain respectively for the remainder of the third #SAvAUS Test in Cape Town – CA CEO James Sutherland says in a statement. pic.twitter.com/AE2PO04LSg

— ICC (@ICC) March 25, 2018

Earlier, in a major shock to the cricketing world, Australian captain Steve Smith admitted that he was the chief plotter in the ball-tampering scandal that has plunged the game into crisis and sparked a Cricket Australia probe.

The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has called for Steve Smith and other members of the Australian cricket team, who were part of the plan of tampering the ball, to step down.

In a press release, the Commission said, “Given the admission by Australian captain Steve Smith, the ASC calls for him to be stood down immediately by Cricket Australia, along with any other members of the team leadership group or coaching staff who had prior awareness of, or involvement in, the plan to tamper with the ball.”

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also reacted strongly to the incident, terming it a “shocking disappointment”.

Talking to the reporters, the prime minister said, “I have to say that the whole nation which holds those who wear the ‘baggy green’ up on a pedestal about as high as you can get in Australia, certainly higher than any politician that’s for sure, this is a shocking disappointment. It’s wrong and I look forward to Cricket Australia taking decisive action soon.”

Meanwhile, Smith, who now faces severe backlash from the cricket world, insisted that he will not quit after teammate Cameron Bancroft was caught using a yellow object to alter the condition of the ball on Saturday’s third day of the third Test against South Africa at Newlands.

CA chief executive James Sutherland said they were “extremely disappointed and shocked”, but added that the governing body wanted to get a clearer picture of the facts before making any decisions and for now Smith would remain captain.