Darren Lehmann set to quit as Australian team's head coach post ball tampering row

Darren Lehmann is set to quit from his post of Australian team's head coach following the ball tampering incident at the Cape Town against South Africa.

The cricketing world was rocked by a ball-tampering controversy when Australian skipper Steve Smith admitted that that senior Australian cricketers conspired with opening batsman Cameron Bancroft to tamper with the red cherry during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

As a report in a leading London daily, Lehmann will stand down in the next 24 hours and informed Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland of his decision on Monday (AEDT).

The report claims Lehmann’s decision is the reason Sutherland finally decided to travel to South Africa on Monday.

The International Cricket Council fined Steven Smith and suspended from the fourth Test against South over breaching the code of conduct. Smith and David Warner have been stood down from their posts as captain and vice-captain pending a Cricket Australia investigation.

The national governing body expects to announce the results of the investigation in Johannesburg late on Tuesday and although Smith said the coaching staff had been unaware of the conspiracy, Lehmann still had questions to answer.