After enough on-field drama, both Cameron Bancroft and Steve Smith have admitted to ball-tampering on the 3rd day of the Test against South Africa at Cape Town.

Bancroft was shown using a foreign object on the ball shortly before tea on Saturday. When asked about that object by the umpires, he produced a black cover of his sunglasses from his pocket.

However, the opening batsman has admitted that he became nervous after being shown on the screen and slid the tape into his trousers.

“I’ve been charged. I saw the opportunity to try and change the condition of the ball. When I was seen on the screen I panicked and hid the tape in my trousers,” Bancroft admitted.

Aussie skipper Steve Smith has also voiced his guilt and revealed that the “leadership group” knew about the incident even though the coaches were not involved.

“I'm incredibly sorry. The leadership group (I'm not naming names) knew about it, we spoke about it at lunch. The coaches weren't involved. It was purely the players. It won't happen again. I can promise you this is the first time this has happened, hopefully, we can learn something from this. I'm embarrassed, the boys in the shed are embarrassed.”

With Steve Smith involved in the incident, it is the Aussie captain’s integrity and leadership that has come into question. However, Smith said that he will not step down from captaincy.

“I won’t consider stepping down. I still think I am the right person for the job. Today was a big mistake on my part and on the leadership group as well. I have to take control of the ship. This is something I am not proud of. It's something I hope I can learn from and come back from. I am embarrassed. It is a big error in judgment.”