Cricket Australia has handed David Warner and Steven Smith one-year bans while Cameron Bancroft has been banned for nine months for their role in the ball-tampering incident during the third test match against South Africa, according reports.

Cricket Australia is yet to confirm the sanctions off the back of the findings from the investigation into the ball-tampering incident carried out by CA Head of Integrity Iain Roy.

Reports said that Smith and Warner have also been barred from captaining Australia for two years.

Earlier, Cricket Australia had announced that Smith, Warner and Bancroft will be sent back home on Wednesday.

CEO James Sutherland said that the sanction against the trio was announced based on preliminary investigations. Sutherland had flown into Johannesburg to get to the bottom of the scandal.

"All three players will be sent back to Australia on Wednesday and their replacements will come in within 24 hours,” Sutherland had said.

“Prior knowledge of the plan in question was with Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft only.

No one knew about the plan other than these three. Darren Lehmann the coach was not in the know how and will continue as the coach of the team," he added.

Sutherland said that Lehmann will continue in the capacity of coach with the team.

Sutherland apologized to the Australian and South African cricketing fraternity and the rest of the world.

Smith has already been suspended for one Test and docked his entire match fee by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for his role in the affair.

Sutherland said that the Australian team will be led by Tim Paine for the rest of the series while Matthew Renshaw, Glenn Maxwell and Joe Burns will replace Smith, Warner and Bancroft.

Smith, Warner and Bancroft were found to have breached article 2.3.5 of the CA Code of Conduct, which relates to conduct at any time that is contrary to the spirit of the game, unbecoming of a representative, harmful to the interests of the game, or bringing the game into disrepute.

The incident took place during South Africa's innings on Saturday afternoon when Bancroft was seen on television holding a foreign object while rubbing the ball, before hiding the object in his pocket, then inside his trousers.

As soon as the incident was shown on the venue's big screen, the player was questioned in the presence of his captain by the two on-field umpires, Richard Illingworth and Nigel Llong, who, along with third umpire Ian Gould and fourth umpire Allahudien Palekar, later charged Bancroft.

The plan to alter the condition of the ball had been made at the lunch break on day three between senior players from Australia without the consent of the coaching staff, according to Smith.

Earlier Smith got removed as captain in Rajasthan royals and Rahane been made captain in IPL2018.

Today David Warner has stepped down as the captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of IPL 2018 in the wake of the infamous ball tampering scandal.