After admitting to having a part in the tampering of the ball, the future of Steven Smith as the captain of Australia seems to be under threat. Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland has opened an investigation regarding the incident as Michael Clarke’s captaincy is under threat.

He was quoted as saying that it was “a very sad day for Australian cricket” by The Daily News.

“I was extremely disappointed and shocked to hear the news,” Sutherland told reporters on Sunday.

He added that the issue is a very serious one and that further investigation will take place in order to uncover the truth hidden within the crevices.

“From a Cricket Australia perspective, we regard this as an extremely serious issue.

“We have a responsibility to take this further … over the next couple of days, [we will] get a deep understanding of what happened and why.”

The fact that Sutherland has sent his head of integrity, Iain Roy, and high-performance manager Pat Howard, to South Africa to “gather the relevant information” shows that he is taking the matter very seriously and that the Aussie captain could be in trouble here.

He also gave his word that the situation would be “dealt with as a matter of urgency and seriousness.”