Australia ball-tampering: 'Nonsense' only three players knew : Andrew Flintoff

[R3verse Swing]

It is "absolute nonsense" that only three Australia players knew about the ball-tampering scandal, says former England captain Andrew Flintoff.

Captain Steve Smith and vice-skipper David Warner were given year-long bans by Cricket Australia (CA) last month.

Batsman Cameron Bancroft, who carried out the cheating in South Africa, was given a nine-month suspension by CA.

"I am struggling to think that not everyone [in the team] knew," Flintoff told BBC Radio 5 live.

"I might be completely wrong but you talk about it. You talk about how you are going to treat the ball. The ball in cricket is so important."

In the third Test in Cape Town - which they went on to lose by 322 runs before a 3-1 series defeat - Bancroft was caught on camera using sandpaper to damage the ball.

Smith admitted the Australian "leadership group" had devised a plan to tamper with the ball, and CA's investigation found Warner instructed Bancroft on how to carry it out.

As well as the players being sanctioned, coach Darren Lehmann resigned in the wake of the scandal, though he was cleared of any involvement in the incident.

All three players have accepted the disciplinary measures taken against them and apologised for their part in the scandal.

However, at his news conference, Warner did not directly answer questions about whether any other members of the Australia team had been involved in the plan.

"To say that a bowler has got a ball in his hands, or anybody else in the field does not know that this ball has been tampered with is absolute nonsense," said Flintoff.

"You talk and talk and talk about how you're going to look after this ball. To then say that other people didn't know - if that's the case I feel sorry for Mitchell Starc.

"He's got the ball in his hands. He's running in thinking he's Wasim Akram - this ball is moving everywhere.

"He is thinking: 'I'm cracking it here, I'm doing something which is unbelievable.'"

Ball-tampering bans too harsh - ACA
However, the former England all-rounder Flintoff thinks the bans handed down were too harsh.

"The crime doesn't warrant that [the bans]," he said.

"One of the things which has really annoyed me is I've seen people raising their profile on the back of other people's misery.

"Some of them are in glass houses - don't be chucking your stones, lads. We've done a few things which aren't particularly in the rules - not as bad as that - and it changes.

"Then I saw Steve Smith on TV crying his eyes out, so upset, and I put a tweet out saying: 'Are you happy now? Is that what you wanted'?"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/43706190

 

[Robert]

I don’t normally listen to him but he seems to have a point here.

It will be interesting to see if Starc can swing the newish ball in future.

 

[pillionrider]

Looks like he knows what he is talking about :2005

"If that's the case I feel sorry for Mitchell Starc. He's got the ball in his hands. He's running in thinking he's Wasim Akram - this ball is moving everywhere. He is thinking: 'I'm cracking it here, I'm doing something which is unbelievable.'"

 

[R3verse Swing]

I hear Cummins is now out of the IPL too?

Something fishy going on for sure!

 

[hadi123]

I can see his point, it's hard to believe the other players had absolutely no idea what was going on.

 

[pillionrider]

If you watch the video accompanying the story, you can clearly see he comes very very close to suggesting England have pushed the boundaries themselves and the hypocrisy of their players taking the moral high ground.

This is why Flintoff remains one of the few English legends as far as the rest of the cricketing world is concerned.

 

[MMHS]

What are you talking Fredi - even Lehman & Saker didn’t know what boys were doing there in middle. Smith must have bought that yellow thing previous night using his pocket money from Walmart and Bancroft cut it into appropriate size, guided by Warner .... when everyone were already into deep sleep.

 

[cric_man]

If you watch the video accompanying the story, you can clearly see he comes very very close to suggesting England have pushed the boundaries themselves and the hypocrisy of their players taking the moral high ground.

This is why Flintoff remains one of the few English legends as far as the rest of the cricketing world is concerned.

I remember, during 2005 Ashes, Simon Jones and to some extent Flintoff reversing the ball out of nowhere. The only rationale was that both trained under Waqar and Wasim's tutlage respectively in their county stints. But most probably were given the "dark arts" of reversing as well

 

[ManFan]

I remember, during 2005 Ashes, Simon Jones and to some extent Flintoff reversing the ball out of nowhere. The only rationale was that both trained under Waqar and Wasim's tutlage respectively in their county stints. But most probably were given the "dark arts" of reversing as well

Breath mints. They work wonders.

 

[shaz619]

Looks like he knows what he is talking about :2005

"If that's the case I feel sorry for Mitchell Starc. He's got the ball in his hands. He's running in thinking he's Wasim Akram - this ball is moving everywhere. He is thinking: 'I'm cracking it here, I'm doing something which is unbelievable.'"

That was hilarious, got to love Freddie when he's having a rant totally agree with him

 

[JaDed]

Looks like he knows what he is talking about :2005

"If that's the case I feel sorry for Mitchell Starc. He's got the ball in his hands. He's running in thinking he's Wasim Akram - this ball is moving everywhere. He is thinking: 'I'm cracking it here, I'm doing something which is unbelievable.'"

) Man only English cricketer I miss other than Nasser .

 

[Pakistanian]

Lol Flintoff isn't a legend. Other than the Ashes in '05 he was no show throughout his career.

 

[fawad_wellwisher]

Freddy is right. Everyone must have known including Ussie.

 

[giri26]

I remember, during 2005 Ashes, Simon Jones and to some extent Flintoff reversing the ball out of nowhere. The only rationale was that both trained under Waqar and Wasim's tutlage respectively in their county stints. But most probably were given the "dark arts" of reversing as well

To be fair to Freddy, he did agree that they haven't been very clean themselves as well,

"Some of them are in glass houses - don't be chucking your stones, lads. We've done a few things which aren't particularly in the rules - not as bad as that - and it changes.

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

Link to Freddie's rant

http://www.bbc.com/sport/cricket/43703977

 

[AssassinatedDevil]

Agree with Flintoff here. Bizzare to say that no one else in the team knew.

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