Australian Cricket Coach Quits Amid Ball-Tampering Scandal

As director of Laurence Martin Developments, a residential property development company based in Johannesburg, Laurence Grigorov has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. This assists his ability to have a deep technical understanding of the construction and engineering aspects of the residential projects Laurence Martin Developments undertakes.

Laurence Grigorov enjoys watching and following various sports in his down time and has recently been following the Australian tour of South Africa, which unfortunately has been marred by ball-tampering allegations.

An emotional Australia cricket coach Darren Lehmann said on Thursday he was stepping down after this week's test match against South Africa due to abuse he and his family received over a ball-tampering scandal that has rocked the sport.

His voice choking with emotion at a news conference on the eve of the Johannesburg test, the last of the four-match series against arch rivals South Africa, Lehmann said his decision to quit was tough but voluntary.

"My family and I got a lot of abuse over the last week," said Lehmann, a burly former test player known for his no-nonsense approach on and off the field. "Speaking to my family, it's the right time to step away." He conceded that he should take some blame for the aggressive culture that has developed in the Australian team during his time as coach. "Ultimately I'm responsible for the culture of the team. Been thinking about my position for a while, despite telling media yesterday that I'm not resigning," he said.

Watching axed captain Steve Smith break down repeatedly at a news conference on his return to Australia removed any final doubts about quitting, he said. "It's only fair that I make this decision," he said.

Former players had been calling for Lehmann's head, suspecting that he might have been involved in the ball-tampering plan that led to the sacking of Smith, vice-captain David Warner and opener Cameron Bancroft.

Television footage showed Lehmann sending a message out onto the field before Bancroft dropped the piece of sandpaper he was clandestinely using to rough up the ball down his trousers.

However, Cricket Australia cleared Lehmann of wrongdoing, with the organisation's CEO, James Sutherland, saying Lehmann was as surprised as the thousands of spectators in Cape Town's Newlands stadium and millions more watching the images at home.

Laurence Grigorov is pleased South Africa have been able to turn the series around and now currently lead Australia 2-1 with the final game to be held at the Wanderers in Johannesburg

Words and photo courtesy of Supersport.com