The Saturday of March 24, 2018, will go down as the dark day in Australian cricket after captain Steve Smith admitted to a grave wrongdoing by his side. Playing against South Africa on the day three of the third Test match at Newlands in Cape Town, Aussie opener Cameron Bancroft was caught ball-tampering on the field by television cameras. The ball-tampering during Newlands Test or now infamously named Sandpaper Gate was not a spontaneous act, but a deliberate plan hatched by ‘leadership group’ of the Australian side. Watching Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft confessing of their misdeed during the press conference video after third’s day play made most of us say out loud - It's Just Not Cricket! If you though Bancroft’s ball-tampering video showing the 25-year-old altering the condition of the ball with a yellow tape was cringeworthy, wait till you watch him and Smith confess to their crime.

The video grabs of the now infamous Sandpaper Gate scandal flooded the social media. The footage obtained from the host broadcaster SuperSport showed Bancroft rubbing the ball on the giant screen at Newlands. Bancroft was seen taking out a yellow object out of his right pocket and then placing it inside the front of his trousers by loosening the drawstring of his pants. On being questioned by the on-field umpires, Cameron smartly produced his sunglasses drawing from his pocket.

If this timeline of Cameron Bancroft’s devious plot did not shock you (which is impossible), the further suggestion of Australia head coach Darren Lehmann aiding the cricketer will leave you in much shock. It is believed that Lehmann on spotting Bancroft indulged in the ball-tampering sent in the 12th man and sub fielder Peter Handscomb to alert him before being confronted by the on-field umpires! Cricket is definitely no more Gentlemen’s Game but the game of Masterminds!

WATCH: Steve Smith & Cameron Bancroft Talk About Sandpaper Gate Press Conference Video

Cameron Bancroft was summoned by the match referee with International Cricket Council (ICC) charging him for the misdeed. However, the shocker remains Steven Smith admitting the decision to be taken by the “leadership group” aka senior members of the team. “The leadership group knew about it, we spoke about it at lunch,” Smith told the press conference.

"I am not proud of what has happened. It’s not in the spirit of the game, my integrity and the integrity of the team has been damaged and rightfully so. It's not on, it's certainly not and it won't happen again under my leadership. We thought it was a possible way to get an advantage, obviously, it didn't work. It was a poor choice and I deeply regret our actions. I'm embarrassed and I feel for Cam as well. Being the leader of the team, I'm incredibly sorry for, I guess, trying to bring the game into disrepute."

Watch: Cameron Bancroft Caught Red-handed in Sandpaper Gate

Steve Smith in the match conference clarified the decision was solely made by senior members of the team and did not include any of the coaches or support staff. He further added that the scandal will not force him to step down from the captaincy. “The coaches weren’t involved,” Smith said. “It was purely the players and the leadership group that came up with this. I won't consider stepping down. I take responsibility as captain and I need to take control of the ship. It's something I'm not proud of, I'm embarrassed. It's a big error in judgement and we'll learn from it." Only time will tell how adversely Sandpaper Gate scandal casts its shadow on Smith and Australian cricket team.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 25, 2018 01:58 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).