We have to listen to the fans: Paine

Captain Tim Paine says his side's first step in their reform as Australia’s national team is not to act, but to listen.

It's been clear since Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were banned by Cricket Australia for bringing the game into disrepute and behaving in contrary to the spirit of cricket that there is a disconnect between how the Test team plays the game and how the Australian public wants them to.

The backlash generated by the Cape Town ball-tampering incident has been unprecedented, with the outrage coming down from as high as the Prime Minister’s office to every fan with a Twitter account.

Cricket Australia plan to undertake a review into the culture of the men’s team, while those within the set-up - including Paine and outgoing coach Darren Lehmann - have admitted it’s time for Australia’s aggressive attitude to change.

Paine says when he, Australia's new head coach and the playing group sit down and construct a new blueprint as to how they will play in the immediate future, they will first listen to the Australian public as to how the fans want their representatives to act on and off the cricket field.

"We've potentially had our head in the sand a little bit over the last 12 months (thinking) if we continue to win we can kind of act and behave how we like and the Australian public will be OK with that," Paine said on Tuesday after Australia crumbled to a 492-run defeat in the fourth Test.

"What we've probably found out in the past month or so is that the Australian public and our fans don't necessarily like the way we go about it.

"It's pretty simple. We have to listen.

"We have to take it on board and we have to improve our behaviour in the way we play the game.

"I know the guys are certainly taking that on board and it's something that we're excited, again, to go forward and be able to do."

The change has already begun.

At The Wanderers, gone was the Australian side that sledged, chirped and dished out banter. In their place was a team that played on skill and ability, a group that had left the aggro in Cape Town.

Australia’s new direction might change, if ever so slightly, depending on who Lehmann’s successor is, but Paine hopes it won’t take too long for his side’s new approach to stick.

"I think it was probably evident in this match that we'd changed somewhat," he said. "That will continue to happen.

"We've obviously got a new coach coming in at some stage who would have huge say on how that is.

"But from my point of view, we've now got a fine line between being really respectful of opposition and the game and also being at a level that is really competitive as you should be in Test match cricket.

"It's going to be a different style to what a lot of the guys have been used to, but I think we'll find it pretty quickly.

"Once the new coach comes in and lays down the way he wants us to play as well, has his say on it, I think we'll go for it straight away."

Proteas captain Faf du Plessis, who leads a team that is perhaps a perfect case study in how to play tough, respectful cricket, says Australia’s admission they need to change the way they play is the first step in the right direction.

"Obvious this Test match had a different feel to it, there was not as (much) competitiveness and other stuff as the other Test matches before it," du Plessis said.

"It's something we can only talk about in time, how it will change and what sort of things will happen, how it will happen.

"I don't like to really comment on stuff not in my control.

"Their culture is something they've spoken about that they would like to change, and that's good that they believe ... if they've said it, it means it needs to change.

"Time will tell what sort of effect that will have on their dressing room."