Lehmann to stay on as Australia head coach

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has confirmed Darren Lehmann has not resigned as coach of Australia's men's team amid the turmoil of the Test side's ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.

Following the events in Cape Town, CA launched an investigation headed by CA Head of Integrity Iain Roy that found Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were the only members of the touring party who knew about the plan to alter the condition of the ball.

In the lead-up to Tuesday's press conference, various media reports had Lehmann either stepping down as coach or being sacked, all of which were proven untrue. 

Lehmann's contract expires at the end of the 2019 Ashes in England, and Sutherland expects the 48-year-old to see out his time as head coach.

"Earlier today I received an update about the investigation being conducted by our Head of Integrity Iain Roy, and in conducting his interviews he was accompanied by two ICC integrity officers," Sutherland told reporters in Johannesburg this morning (AEDT).

"While that investigation is not complete, preliminary findings have been considered and discussed by the CA board earlier today.

"The key finding is that prior knowledge of the ball-tampering incident was limited to three players: captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.

"No other players or support staff had prior knowledge and this includes Darren Lehmann, who despite inaccurate media reports, has not resigned from his position.

"He will continue to coach the Australian men’s team under his current contract."

Lehmann was installed as head coach just weeks out from the 2013 Ashes series in England after CA sacked South African Mickey Arthur, who oversaw the 'homeworkgate' affair in India, which led to four players being suspended. 

While Australia lost the 2013 Ashes series 3-0, players said Lehmann had reunited a fractured group while simultaneously bringing enjoyment back to the Baggy Green, after the squad's culture had disintegrated under Arthur's watch.

Throughout that Ashes, the new mentor actually banned the word 'culture' as he looked to reinvigorate the set-up, recalling young batting gun Steve Smith and handing teenager Ashton Agar a shock debut in the opening Test as he looked ahead to a new era.

Five months later, Lehmann's side regained the Ashes with a spectacular five-nil whitewash off the back of an inspired Mitchell Johnson, who repaid the faith of Lehmann and selectors by returning to Test cricket with 37 wickets to utterly dismantle a shocked England squad. 

Lehmann played his part in another significant selection call in South Africa following the Ashes whitewash, when he dropped veteran seamer Peter Siddle for Victorian teammate James Pattinson for the deciding Test in Cape Town, which Australia won in dramatic fashion late on day five to wrest the world No.1 Test ranking from the Proteas.

A failed World T20 campaign and a two-nil hammering at the hands of Pakistan in the UAE were afterthoughts when Lehmann, his charges and the broader cricket world were rocked by the tragic passing of Phillip Hughes in November 2014.

A galvanised unit returned to Test cricket 12 days after Hughes's death, winning an emotional match in Adelaide before going on to defeat India 2-0. 

Australia relinquished the 2015 Ashes under Lehmann's watch – continuing an away drought that extends back to 2001 – before a dominant run against New Zealand and West Indies was quickly overshadowed by another away defeat; this time a 0-3 loss to a lowly-rated Sri Lanka outfit. 

The Australians' losing streak went to five matches when they surrendered a home series to South Africa, with a devastating result in Hobart – in which the hosts were bowled out for 85 – precipitating mass changes.

Australia then won at home to Pakistan before losing a hard-fought series in India 2-1 – a respectable result against Virat Kohli's team given their recent results on the subcontinent – then drew one-all in Bangladesh last September. 

A 4-0 Ashes success this summer has been followed by chaos and controversy in South Africa, which has seen his players banned, fined, abused by the local crowds and needing a win in the fourth Test to keep Australia's undefeated record in South Africa intact since the Proteas were readmitted to international cricket. 

Qantas tour of South Africa

South Africa squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen, Quinton de Kock, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, AB de Villiers.

Australia squad: Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.

Warm-up match: Australia beat South Africa A by five wickets. Report, highlights

First Test Australia won by 118 runs. Scorecard

Second Test South Africa won by six wickets. Scorecard

Third Test South Africa won by 322 runs. Scorecard

Fourth Test Wanderers, Johannesburg, March 30-April 3. Live coverage