Australian great – Ian Chappell was critical with his opinion on the ongoing ball-tampering scandal, involving Captain Steve Smith and Vice-captain David Warner, saying he doesn't see Smith leading the side ever again. 

On Thursday (28 March), Smith and Warner have been suspended for 12 months following their involvement in the ball tampering scandal in South Africa by the Cricket Australia (CA).

CA also said that Smith will not be considered for captaincy again for at least 12 months after he serves his ban, while Warner will never be considered for a leadership role.

Chappell told ESPN Cricinfo, “I don’t see either of them (Smith or Warner) ever captaining Australia again. One of the most important things about being captain is that you have to earn the respect of your teammates. With the way this stupidity in Cape Town played out, I don’t think any of them could regain much respect with their teammates. So I think you can forget about either of them captaining Australia.”

Former Australian skipper further added, “They had to go for 12 months with Smith and Warner. I think if they would have only given six months to them and they tried to play in Australia’s next summer, the booing and crowd reaction would have been so bad. It would have been very hard for the players and it would not have been a very good situation for Cricket Australia.”

Meanwhile, CA handed a nine-month suspension to Cameron Bancroft after all three players admitted to ball tampering in the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.