The board of Cricket Australia (CA) have called an emergency meeting today, to work through a plan of dealing with the fall-out from the Australian ball-tampering crisis.
CA CEO James Sutherland is expected to address the media earlier in the day, while CA Chairman David Peever, who was in Cape Town during the Test, is currently en route home.
Steve Smith insists he has no plans to relinquish the captaincy over a ball-tampering saga destined to represent one of Australian cricket's darkest hours.
Smith has confessed Australia's leadership group authorised the illegal practice on day three of the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.
Cricket Australia emergency board meeting to be convened later today. Steve Smith must stand down.
— Kate Sullivan (@Kate_Sullivan_x) March 24, 2018
Players hatched the idea of cheating with sticky tape, which they hoped would capture debris from the pitch and scuff one side of the ball, at lunch on Saturday.
Can we talk about this? pic.twitter.com/cmpRrOArgD
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) March 24, 2018
"I won't be considering stepping down. I still think I'm the right person for the job," Smith told reporters.
Cameron Bancroft used the tape while working on the ball in the post-lunch session then attempted to hide it from umpires.
Bancroft has been charged with ball tampering by match referee Andy Pycroft but the heat is well and truly on the man behind the plan.
"Today was a big mistake on my behalf and on the leadership group's behalf as well," Smith said.
"I take responsibility as the captain. I need to take control of the ship.
"I'm incredibly sorry for trying to bring the game into disrepute the way we did.
"This is certainly something I'm not proud of and something that I can hope to learn from and come back strong from.
"My integrity, the team's integrity, the leadership group's integrity has come into question."
The skipper wouldn't divulge the other teammates involved in the discussion. The leadership group has featured David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in the past.
WHAT THE ........ HAVE I JUST WOKEN UP TO. Please tell me this is a bad dream.
— Michael Clarke (@MClarke23) March 24, 2018
Steve Smith,his Team & ALL the management will have to accept that whatever happens in their careers they will all be known for trying to CHEAT the game ... #SAvAUS
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) March 24, 2018
Smith, with the exception of a couple of incidents on a spiteful tour of India last year, had enjoyed a squeaky-clean start to his century-laden captaincy.
"I am embarrassed," the 28-year-old said.
"I know the boys in the shed are embarrassed as well and I feel for Cam.
"It's a poor reflection on everyone in that dressing room, particularly the leaders.
"If we weren't caught I'd still feel incredibly bad about it ... it's a big error in judgment.
"It was a poor choice and deeply regrettable.
"I can promise you it won't happen again."
Can we talk about this? pic.twitter.com/cmpRrOArgD
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) March 24, 2018
Smith insisted coaching staff, including Darren Lehmann, were not aware of the premeditated plan and that his side have never tried using tape to scuff the ball before.
"Obviously it didn't work. The umpires didn't see it change the way the ball was behaving," Smith said.
"We saw this game as such an important game.
"We've seen the ball reversing quite a lot throughout this series and our ball just didn't look like it was going to go."
Discussion about both sides attaining early reverse-swing has dominated the series.
Questions are already being asked about the tourists' conduct in previous Tests.
"You can ask questions as much as you like but I can promise you this is the first time it's happened," Smith said.
"It's not what we want to see in the game. It's not what the Australian cricket team's about."