Former skipper Michael Clarke has declared that Australian cricket is in "deep shit" in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal.
Clarke's blunt assessment was delivered after Cricket Australia declared that Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were the only people who knew about the alleged cheating, recalling the disgraced trio to Australia but saying coach Darren Lehmann would keep his job.
Chief executive James Sutherland's comments failed to get rid of the question marks surrounding the scandals.
Clarke led the chorus of scepticism, suggesting on Twitter there was more to the story:
Former England Test captain Michael Vaughan was similarly unconvinced, suggesting that Cricket Australia has only made things worse for itself:
Meanwhile, former English wicketkeeper Matt Prior said the official explanation didn't match up with his experiences of how teams work:
Kevin Pietersen needed fewer words to make his point:
The BBC's Jonathan Agnew called out what he said were "contradictions" in the official narrative:
And other commentators suggested Lehmann was responsible for the Australian team's culture, irrespective of whether he played a role in the ball-tampering scandal:
Much of the scepticism expressed by players and commentators appeared to be based on Smith's initial refusal to name those involved in the plot, beyond saying the "leadership group" knew about it.
Sutherland's press conference suggested the "leadership group" Smith was referring to was limited to himself and Warner.
Sutherland didn't reveal what punishments Smith, Warner and Bancroft would face for "conduct contrary to the spirit of the game", but it's likely that this will include bans.
"These sanctions will reflect the gravity with which we view what has occurred and the damage it has done to Australian cricket," he said.
The three players have been ordered home ahead of the series final against South Africa that begins on Friday, with Matt Renshaw, Glenn Maxwell and Joe Burns flown over as emergency replacements.
Wicketkeeper Tim Paine has been officially appointed as captain for the Test.
