Lehmann to step down as Australia head coach

Captain Steve Smith said Lehmann was not aware of plans to tamper with the condition of the ball

Captain Steve Smith said Lehmann was not aware of plans to tamper with the condition of the ball

The 48-year-old will step down after the final Test in Johannesburg, which starts on Friday, in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal. "As a coach you feel for them ... they are hurting, and I feel for them and their families", said Lehmann on Wednesday.

Under-fire Australia coach Darren Lehmann had no knowledge of a ball-tampering plot by his two most senior players and allegations that he then led a cover-up are false, Cricket Australia said on Wednesday.Sacked captain Steve Smith and firebrand opening batsman David Warner have both been banned for 12 months, while Cameron Bancroft got a nine month ban in a scandal that has stunned and angered fans around the world.Former players have been calling for Lehmann's head after television footage showed him sending a message out onto the field before Bancroft dropped the piece of sandpaper he was clandestinely using to rough up the ball down his pants.

Speaking at a press conference as he was announcing his resignation, Lehmann suggested that saying goodbye was hard for him.

"I'm ultimately responsible for the culture of the team", Lehmann said, himself repeatedly breaking down. It is about the integrity and reputation of Australian Cricket and Australian sport. He will continue to coach the Australia men's team under his current contract.

"They have made a grave mistake, but they are not bad people".

Lehmann was appointed head coach in 2013, losing his first Ashes series in England 3-0 before regaining the urn with a 5-0 win five months later.

The team won the 2015 World Cup under his leadership and dealt with the death of batsman Phillip Hughes in November 2014.

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"I think they're very sad and remorseful", Sutherland said.

'The investigation that was done, found only three players knew of this plan, we are satisfied with that'.

His voice choking with emotion at a news conference on the eve of the Johannesburg Test, the last of the four-match series against arch-rivals South Africa, Lehmann said his decision to quit was tough but voluntary. The first one-day global is at The Oval on 13 June.

It was confirmed, Bancroft had a piece of sandpaper in his pocket during the afternoon of the third day of the Test in Cape Town on Saturday.

"After seeing events in the media 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".

Smith and Warner - formerly the captain and vice-captain of the team - were banned for 12 months by Cricket Australia (CA) on Wednesday, while Bancroft earned a nine-month suspension.

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