MICHAEL VAUGHAN says he is “pretty sure” Australia were tampering with the ball during this winter’s 4-0 Ashes series win over England.

The former England captain’s claim comes after Australia skipper Steve Smith admitted this weekend his side had tried to manipulate the ball during the third Test defeat to South Africa.

Smith insisted it was the first time time it had happened under his captaincy, but Vaughan believes it has been going on for “quite a while.”

Vaughan told BBC Sport: “I can’t believe that this hasn’t happened before. I look at the amount of tape some of the fielders have worn, particularly during the Ashes series, mid-on, mid-off. [You] don’t have to name names but they know who they are.

“I’m pretty sure that it was going on during the Ashes series.

“But it wasn’t the reason why England lost 4-0. They still would have lost that series.”

Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is another cricketing great to hit out at the scandal, insisting Australia have pushed gamesmanship beyond reasonable limits “for years and years.”

“Australia attempted a lot of times to be ‘poor us, we’re fine, we don’t cross the mark’,” said Flintoff on his BBC podcast. “But lads to be honest, you’ve done it for years and years and years, and now you’re getting found out.”

Australia’s prime minister Malcolm Turnbull labelled the incident a “shocking affront” to the country, adding: “This cheating is… it is a disgrace. We all know that, it is a terrible disgrace.”

“[Cricket Australia] now have to make sure that this great, national game, this great international game that is synonymous with fair play, is once again a game that is played by champions, that everybody can look up to.

“We want to get to the point where we can all say once again, not rhetorically but heartfelt and with sincerity, that cricket is a fair game, cricket is a game that is synonymous with a fair go and fair play, that is what has to happen.”

As the Star went to press last night Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland announced a press conference in Johannesburg at 6pm to go ahead after meeting Cricket Australia’s head of integrity Iain Roy to discuss possible sanctions against captain Steve Smith and Bancroft.