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Ball-tampering: Steve Smith suspended for a Test, Cameron Bancroft handed 3 demerit pts [Update#677]

Steve Smith and David Warner could face one-year bans from Cricket Australia, and their participation in the 2019 World Cup and the Ashes series in England will also be discussed, according to multiple reports in the Australian press.

Many of the reports cite insiders who are calling for Smith and Warner to be banned for at least six months and for up to a year. The World Cup start in May in the UK with the Ashes following straight afterwards in July. Some of those same sources cited by the Australian media, also believe Darren Lehmann’s position as head coach is untenable.

The Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has flown to South Africa to join Iain Roy and Pat Howard, who are investigating the ball-tampering scandal, and is set to announce any penalties on Wednesday.

Bowlers including Mitch Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon are said to have attempted to distance themselves from involvement in the scandal after Smith said decisions to tamper with the ball were made by a “leadership group” within the dressing room.
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Source is Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/l...pering-steve-smith-england-ashes-updates-live
 
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Fanie de Villiers, former South Africa fast bowler and now a commentator for South Africa’s SuperSport television channel, says the station asked their cameramen to look for evidence of ball-tampering as he was suspicious of the reverse swing Australia were getting during the Test series.

“I said that if they could get reverse swing in the 26th, 27th, 28th over then they’re doing something different from what everyone else does,” he said. “We actually said to our cameramen … go out [and] have a look, boys. They’re using something. [The cameramen] searched for an hour and a half until they saw something and then they started following [Cameron] Bancroft and they actually caught him out at the end.

“It’s impossible for the ball to get altered like that on cricket wickets where we knew there was grass on, not a Pakistani wicket where there’s cracks every centimetre. We’re talking about [a] grass-covered wicket where you have to do something else to alter the shape, the roughness of the ball on the one side. You have to get the one side wetter, heavier than the other side.”
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https://www.theguardian.com/sport/l...pering-steve-smith-england-ashes-updates-live

So seems like the SA team where suspicious from the get go!
 
Reports in Australia suggest that if Darren Lehmann loses his job as Australia coach then the former opener Justin Langer is in pole position to take over.

And while Joe Root has said he was not aware of any ball-tampering during the Ashes, on Sunday Stuart Broad was more forthright:

“Look at the Ashes series we’ve just played, look through all of those Test matches and they reverse swing the ball sometimes in conditions you wouldn’t expect the ball to reverse,” he said. “So I don’t understand why they’ve changed their method for this one game?

“Steve [Smith] has said it’s the first time they’ve tried it so he’s saying they have [changed their methods]. And there was no evidence they were doing this in the Ashes series from what I’ve seen.”

Certainly Smith was asked about ball-tampering during the limited overs series that followed the Ashes, but he denied the suggestion that he was applying an illegal substance to the ball after wiping his lip.

“It was all spit,” the 28-year-old said. “It’s the way I get spit from the side of my mouth and on the ball. People said something about lip balm. If you look at my lips, they’re pretty dry!”
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https://www.theguardian.com/sport/l...pering-steve-smith-england-ashes-updates-live
 
Langer/Gillespie were 2 of the replacements named back when there were stories about Lehman getting the boot. So no real surprises really.
 
David Warner revealed his method of ball tampering to England players after the Ashes

A report in the Daily Mail has stated that Australian opener David Warner had revealed to a group of England players, the manner in which he indulged in ball tampering in a post- Ashes series drinking session

The method revolves around the strapping which the left-hander wears on his thumb and the index finger.

Coarse substances are then brought in contact with the tape to roughen up one side of the ball, which would aid in the sphere reversing a lot more than what it would.

Australia went on to win the Ashes series at home 4-0.

The opening batsman has been in the news for all the wrong reasons following his verbal altercation with South African wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock in the corridors of the first Test at Kingsmead in Durban, for which he was docked 75 percent of his match fee as well three demerit points.

From an Australian cricket point of view itself, the last couple of days have been forgettable with opener Cameron Bancroft caught red-handed in trying to alter the condition of the ball using sandpaper.

Later on in the day, the opener and captain Steve Smith admitted to the media in Cape Town that it was a planned move with the 'leadership group' within the side aware of what was going on in the ground.

Ahead of the fourth day's play in Newlands, both Smith and Warner were stood down as the captain and the vice-captain of the side with Tim Paine getting the reigns for the remainder of the game.

During the course of the fourth day's play, Smith was handed a one-match ban and docked 100 percent of his match fee while Bancroft was docked three demerit points and also fined 75 percent of his match fee.

As a consequence to the series of events, Smith has been removed as the skipper of Rajasthan Royals while a decision is yet to be taken on whether Warner would lead the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League or not.
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https://cricket.yahoo.net/news/reports-david-warner-revealed-method-102757185?isredir=true

Oh my! :facepalm:
 
A report in the Daily Mail has stated that Australian opener David Warner had revealed to a group of England players, the manner in which he indulged in ball tampering in a post- Ashes series drinking session
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Who were these England players?
 
Cozyrensetter said:
Why these things coming out now.Why not during Ashes.Ridiculous.Now people will say Aus won 2015 Wc by ball tampering and what not.
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Well, firstly, the claims were made after the Ashes, not during. Secondly, no one would come out with this without any evidence or smoke.
 
Cameron Bancroft might have got away with his effort to alter the state of the ball had he not shoved the evidence down his pants, according to the man in charge of production at the broadcaster who caught him.

The Australia cricketer was caught on camera placing what appeared to be yellow sticky tape, which he is thought to have used to collect rough granules from pitch in order to scuff the ball, into his underpants. It was only when he did that, the broadcaster thought something was up.

“We initially just saw that he had something in his hand and he put it in his pocket, but we didn’t know what it was,” Alvin Naicker, head of production at SuperSport told Reuters. “It was only when he later panicked and put it in his underpants that we got sight of the yellow tape.”

After the broadcaster showed the images of Bancroft’s actions on the big screen at the ground, umpires Nigel Llong and Richard Illingworth called the player over. He produced a black piece of cloth used to clean sunglasses from his pocket and the umpires were, at the time, satisfied.

Naicker believes that had Bancroft kept the piece of yellow tape in his pocket and still produced the black cloth for the umpires, giving him the opportunity to dispose of the tape later, nobody would be the wiser.

“The moment he tried to dispose of it in his pants, we knew that this was a major incident. Until then, we were not sure what we were looking at.”

Naicker says they broadcast the footage of him rubbing the ball with the then unknown object almost immediately after the incident. “He [Bancroft] probably saw it two minutes after it happened and very smartly our cameraman focused on the coaching staff and we saw the coach [Darren Lehmann] get on the walkie-talkie to the player down on the field [Peter Handscomb], who ran on to speak with Bancroft. It was then he panicked.”
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https://www.theguardian.com/sport/l...pering-steve-smith-england-ashes-updates-live
 
R3verse Swing said:
Well, firstly, the claims were made after the Ashes, not during. Secondly, no one would come out with this without any evidence or smoke.
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What evidence is there now??. Some English players just rubbing salt on the wounds.They were beaten 4-0.its not like they competed.
I see everyone coming out now.Even boult saw huge reverse.Waiting for Sarfaraz,kohli to say the same.
Joe root already said he did not feel any ball tampering took place during ashes.
 
As is the case in many similar situations, it's not the crime but the cover-up that gets you.
 
Cozyrensetter said:
What evidence is there now??. Some English players just rubbing salt on the wounds.They were beaten 4-0.its not like they competed.
I see everyone coming out now.Even boult saw huge reverse.Waiting for Sarfaraz,kohli to say the same.
Joe root already said he did not feel any ball tampering took place during ashes.
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What evidence is there now?

Videos of Bancroft putting sugar in his pockets during the Ashes series for one!
 
Fanie tipped off cameramen to Oz shenanigans

Cape Town - Former Proteas fast bowler Fanie de Villiers has suggested Australia’s ball-tampering in the third Test against South Africa at Newlands may not have been the first time they had done so.

Australian captain Steve Smith went to great lengths to assure the public that the scandal that rocked the Cape Town Test against the Proteas was the first time under his captaincy that cheating had taken place.

However, Australia’s news.com au website reported that De Villiers felt Australia may already have done so earlier in the series.

“I said earlier on, that if they could get reverse swing in the 26th, 27th, 28th over then they’re doing something different from what everyone else does,’’ De Villiers told RSN Radio.

“We actually said to our cameramen... go out (and) have a look boys. They’re using something. They searched for an hour and a half until they saw something and then they started following (Cameron) Bancroft and they actually caught him out at the end.

“It’s impossible for the ball to get altered like that on cricket wickets where we knew there was grass on, not a Pakistani wicket where there’s cracks every centimetre. We’re talking about (a) grass covered wicket where you have to do something else to alter the shape, the roughness of the ball on the one side. You have to get the one side wetter, heavier than the other side.

“Australian teams getting reverse swing before the 30th over... they had to do something. If you use cricket ball and scratch it against a normal iron or steel gate or anything, anything steel on it, it reverse swings immediately. That’s the kind of extra alteration you need to do.’’

De Villiers is working as an Afrikaans commentator for SuperSport during the series.

The third Test was plunged into controversy on Day 3 on Saturday when television footage showed Bancroft take an object out of his pocket during the post-lunch session and rub it on the ball.

The Australians admitted guilt afterwards, with Smith suspended by the ICC for the final Test starting at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Friday.

Bancroft is however free to play, pending a Cricket Australia inquiry after being fined and handed three demerit points - one point short of a suspension.

https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/Proteas/fanie-tipped-off-cameramen-to-oz-shenanigans-20180326
 
A year ban each would be a snortingly harsh punishment. 6 months seems more appropriate - only thing that would change my opinion is a confession along the lines of we have been “at it” for years and may have influenced the results of multiple matches by working together to doctor the ball. That would be more of a 2+ year ban situation, up to and including life.
 
Preparing the ball for reverse swing is not learnt overnight or found in any sports training manuals. Its an art perfected by the team over years, passed along by senior players and is part of the National team culture.
Clearly this has been going on in the Australian team for years. From the videos its clear that coach Darren Lehmann, also an ex player was involved too. Nowadays, due to more cameras ball tampering is being easily caught and Steve Smith is the unlucky one to be the first Aussie to get caught.
 
3-5 match ban is fine.

6-12 months is ridiculous. Life ban would be the dumbest thing I have ever seen in cricket.
 
How have Warner and lehmann gotten away with?? I just rewatch Ed the sky report and it clearly shows lehmann on the walkie talkie. Jeez
 
Steve Smith set to lose Australia captaincy and could face year-long ban

Steve Smith looks set to be permanently stripped of the Australian captaincy and could face a ban of up to a year from representing the country following his leading role in the ball-tampering scandal that has engulfed the tour of South Africa.

Smith, who has already lost the captaincy of Rajasthan Royals for the upcoming Indian Premier League, is expected to learn his fate from Cricket Australia on Tuesday evening along with the vice-captain David Warner and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft.
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https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/mar/26/steve-smith-australia-captaincy-ban-ball-tampering
 
KingKhanWC said:
A year seems fair to me. Hopefully Warner, Cameron Sandcroft and anyone else involved all get the same.

Usman Khwaja should open and be made captain.
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A year is a joke personally.

The Captain and Vice Captain of Australia, and Bancroft the newbie wannabe (who may I remind readers took the mick out of Bairstow's dead father), conspired and orchestrated to cheat. Without mentioning money, this is no different to 2010 Spot Fixing! Bancroft was laughing a few months ago when Smith but not now!

Thank our lucky stars it was not Khwaja with the Yellow object, or right now Pakistanis would be getting blamed too.

Serves these Aussies right. They shall remember this for generations to come. No longer can the Aussies trumpet the mantra of hard but fair! The Underarm, 500 to 1, Indian Bookie, and now this!

Anytime that ball reverses from now on, check the tool box!
 
Exclusive: Darren Lehmann to announce resignation as Australia coach as board considers 12-month bans for Steve Smith and David Warner

Darren Lehmann is expected to announce his resignation as head coach of Australia in the next 24 hours, becoming the first casualty of the ball-tampering scandal.

Sources in Australia have told Telegraph Sport Lehmann is ready to stand down with immediate effect and his decision is partly why James Sutherland, the chief executive of Cricket Australia, suddenly announced on Monday that he is flying to South Africa.

Sutherland is due to meet the players and coaching staff in Johannesburg on Tuesday with a press conference expected that evening when announcements about Lehmann and action against Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft are likely to be announced. Smith and Warner are thought to be facing the prospect of 12-month suspensions from the sport.

Lehmann, who has been head coach for five years, winning two Ashes series and a World Cup, has not spoken publicly since the ball-tampering scandal erupted on Saturday.

But as head coach he will have to take full responsibility for what happened on his watch, even if he was not directly involved in the decision. Lehmann, as coach, is accountable for the culture within the team and has presided over a side happy to agree to pre-meditated cheating. There are also few left who believe Smith’s explanation that Saturday’s incident was a one off. Australia have also pushed the boundaries in terms of on-field abuse under Lehmann and cleaning up the side will have to include changes to the top of the management structure. Lehmann announced last year that he will be stepping down anyway after the 2019 Ashes tour.

Lehmann was appointed in the aftermath of the 'homeworkgate' row which led to four players being suspended on a tour of India for failing to give coach Mickey Arthur feedback on how the team could improve. Arthur’s reputation never recovered and he was sacked during the 2013 Ashes tour of England. Lehmann was brought in to bring a harder edge to the side and a return to so-called Australian values. Those values have been shattered by what happened in Cape Town.

Smith and Warner are facing the likelihood of year-long suspensions by Cricket Australia that will also cost them millions of pounds in IPL earnings. Cricket Australia are under intense pressure to make examples of the two leaders in the team and suspending them from international duty, but allowing them make money in the IPL would send a terrible message.

Smith and Warner are the highest paid Australian cricketers in the IPL. Both were retained by their franchises before January’s auction on deals worth £1.1m. Warner plays for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and has twice been the leading scorer in the IPL which has rocketed his value.

Cricket Australia has been told to act swiftly and decisively by the Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull, and are facing the prospect of losing sponsors. The board is also at a delicate stage of negotiating its broadcast deals and cannot afford to have its position in those talks weakened by failing to act in the most shocking case of team discipline in the modern history of the Australian side.

Until Saturday afternoon in Cape Town Smith was the golden boy of Australian cricket, billed as the new Don Bradman and poised to captain the side for years. But his world has been shattered. His reputation is in tatters. A serious form of punishment will have to include suspension from a home Australian summer. India are due to Australia this winter.

Cricket Australia has broad sanctions at its disposal under the terms of its central contracts with the Australian players and is currently investigating what exactly happened in the dressing room at Newlands before Bancroft went out on the field in the afternoon session with sticky tape in his pocket and attempted to change the condition of the ball.

The big decision for Cricket Australia is deciding the level of culpability. Does it punish players for simply knowing what was going on? That could lead to fines or suspensions for many others beyond the trio currently in the spotlight.

Several senior players are understood to be incensed by Smith’s comments on Saturday when he implicated the ‘leadership group’ as a collective in the plan to cheat. It is thought he was trying to protect Warner and spread the blame but team-mates such as Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are believed to be extremely upset to have been dragged into it and had not been involved in the discussions.

What Lehmann knew will be key. He was seen on camera speaking via a walkie-talkie to 12th man Peter Handscomb moments after Bancroft was caught on television using yellow sticky tape to rub the ball. Handscomb then immediately went on the field and delivered a message to Bancroft, who then stuffed the yellow tape down his trousers and when asked to empty his pockets by the on-field umpires, showed them the cloth for cleaning his sunglasses.

In many ways Lehmann is the easiest for Cricket Australia to deal with. Australia are not short of great former players to call upon to take control of the team. Ricky Ponting will be the favourite along with Justin Langer and Jason Gillespie. All three men are hugely respected for their playing careers and have enjoyed success as coaches.

Ponting may not want the job full time but more countries are likely to split their coaching roles going forward anyway due to the amount of time teams are on the road.

Smith had already lost his job as captain of the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL when the franchise announed on Monday that India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will replace him for the seasons which starts early next month.

Cricket Australia has to move quickly. The fourth Tests starts in Johannesburg on Friday and Australia will need to fly replacements out to South Africa. Smith has already been banned by the ICC and it is inconceivable Warner and Bancroft will play even if Cricket Australia has not decided its sanctions by then.

Joe Burns and Matt Renshaw are on standby to join the touring party and Tim Paine is likely to continue as captain.

Joe Root said in Auckland on Monday that he was not aware of any ball-tampering by Australia during the last Ashes. “Not to my knowledge, I personally wasn’t aware of anything going on throughout that series. It’s obviously been very well documented and I personally have got plenty on my plate to worry about. But it is disappointing for Test cricket and cricket in general.

"I think as an international player you know the rules and I think it’s important you shouldn’t really have to back that up. Every time you go out and represent your country you knows there’s a load of cameras around, you’re under the spotlight and I think it’s really important you of course give absolutely everything on the field and make sure you do everything you can to win but do it in the right way - it’s as simple as that.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket...-resignation-australia-coach-board-considers/
 
Lehman should've been fired, and not had the chance to resign.

The bans [?] for both Warner, and Smith are excessive and way over the top. A ban of a few matches would've been more ideal. This is just using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
 
6 month to 1 year bans are too much! 1-3 games should suffice, already been stripped of captaincy.
 
One year bans for ball tampering? Extremely harsh and excessive.

10 game ban would be sufficient IMO.
 
On_the_up said:
Another allegation, this time sugar.

Looks like bangers has a specialist role in this Aussie team.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/cricket/5895236/australia-ashes-cheat-storm-bancroft-sugar/
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It will be so bad for Australia if more evidence from other matches comes along, especially with the same players! Would suggest they have planned to and practiced ball tampering over a long period of time. Then it would be really serious.

Though, I do believe most teams ball tamper, however using their own methods, some more subtle than others. But once you get caught on camera, it changes everything e.g. this episode. However, bigger than the tampering itself, is the planning of it by a leadership group. It just makes it sound like a corrupt group, they've dug a hole by suggesting a larger number of people are involved.
 
A 6 month ban is excessive.

Smith and the rest of the leadership group should be banned for 4 games.

Bancroft for 1 Test.
 
It's normal human behavior that when someone gets caught everyone else immediately develops a holier than thou attitude, even though they may be guilty of the same in the past.
 
Australians made a fool of me. I take back all the complements i showered on them about how potent they are on flat pitches. Now we know why they could swing as early as 30th over. But for Fanie de villiers fine eye we may have never caught this. Thanks Fanie.
 
Now I have a question, will Smith and Warner take part in 2019 PSL after all this fiasco?
 
'Do the right thing': Qantas boss tells Cricket Australia to deal with scandal

Cricket Australia has been told by major sponsor Qantas to deal with its cheating scandal as quickly as possible, with the airline's chief executive Alan Joyce saying that the incident had damaged Australia's global reputation as the land of the "fair go".

Mr Joyce said he was “extremely disappointed” by the incident, which has seen his airline's logo - embroidered on disgraced former captain Steve Smith’s official team cap – printed on the front pages of newspapers across the globe.

“We are extremely disappointed with what they’ve done,” Mr Joyce said at an event at the Australian High Commission in London early on Tuesday morning, Australia time.

“Australia’s all about a fair go… and unfortunately our cricket team have let us down.”

Mr Joyce said the incident, in which Smith has admitted to hatching a plot for bowler Cameron Bancroft to tamper with the ball on day three of the test series in South Africa, had damaged Australia’s reputation abroad.

“So we’ve said to Cricket Australia: you need to address this and need to address this fast - you need to do the right thing,” Mr Joyce said.

Mr Joyce said it was reasonable that Cricket Australia needed to conduct its investigation into the incident, but nonetheless Qantas was "in dialogue" with the sports body and wanted the issue resolved “as fast as possible”.

“We want them to make a statement about that this is not acceptable to the rest of the world, because the rest of the world figures that’s the case,” he said.

While he took a strong stance on the scandal, Mr Joyce said Qantas was “nowhere near” the point of withdrawing sponsorship, and had not threatened to do so.

Mr Joyce said he was sure that Cricket Australia understood the significance of the incident.

“If you just look at the worldwide publicity, you know the significance of it,” he said.

https://www.theage.com.au/business/...lia-to-deal-with-scandal-20180327-p4z6ee.html
 
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Wow, overreaction from Australia much?

Or being a Pakistani cricket fan...this might be out of the norm?!
 
R3verse Swing said:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/l...pering-steve-smith-england-ashes-updates-live

So seems like the SA team where suspicious from the get go!
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Very similar to the DRS-gate then.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...icketer-David-Warner-tampered-ball-Ashes.html

David Warner 'boasted about using tape attached to his hand to alter the shape of the ball during post-Ashes drinks with defeated English players'

Australia only switched to their eight-cap opening batsman as chief ball polisher for this match after Warner aroused suspicion in the second Test at Port Elizabeth, where a dressing-room attendant witnessed him putting sandpaper into his strappings.




At this point, the 6 month ban sounds appropriate. This has been pre-meditated cheating which has been going on for a while.
 
After all King Kohli was right last year about #DRSGate. They got away by calling it a brain fade.

I am surprised Kohli didn't take any shots on this issue, or at least I can't find any where.

Smith gotta go. :46:
 
Rahul2020 said:
After all King Kohli was right last year about #DRSGate. They got away by calling it a brain fade.

I am surprised Kohli didn't take any shots on this issue, or at least I can't find any where.

Smith gotta go. :46:
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Maybe he has done it as well? Love the holier than thou attitude of Indian fans.
 
Mamba Red said:
Maybe he has done it as well? Love the holier than thou attitude of Indian fans.
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May be? INdia hardly had any reverse swing bowler. Shami is the only one that i know before that Zak used to reverse a bit. But he was primarily a conventional swing bowler.
 
During home Umpire era, I always believed Aussies were the biggest cheats - they would do systematic cheating, in coordination between players, umpires and commentators. And, that was a strategic act - to/for the key players, at the key moment and of a match deciding factor. To my memory, 1990 & 1996 AUS-PAK & 1991-92 AUS-IND were the 3 worst series I have ever seen, when it comes to biased home umpiring - might be 1986 AUS-IND series as well, but can't recall much.

But, this is new - I never thought, in my life time, I'll see Aussies, particularly from someone like Smith to allow such "act". Obviously, it's not one off and they have been doing it collectively. It's not surprising to me that the bakra (scapegoat) was Bancroft - a very replaceable and insignificant player. Aussies kept their 4 bowlers far away from the "act", Mitch & Shaun as well, while Smith & Warner could have denied it in straight face had it not been caught red handed. It had to be Bancroft or Kwaja - players, whose existence (or nonexistence) hardly matters.

From only that clue I can say, this has been a long term practice and every or most Aussie players knew about it, coaching staff as well, may be who knows - people at CA as well.
 
MMHS said:
During home Umpire era, I always believed Aussies were the biggest cheats - they would do systematic cheating, in coordination between players, umpires and commentators. And, that was a strategic act - to/for the key players, at the key moment and of a match deciding factor. To my memory, 1990 & 1996 AUS-PAK & 1991-92 AUS-IND were the 3 worst series I have ever seen, when it comes to biased home umpiring - might be 1986 AUS-IND series as well, but can't recall much.

But, this is new - I never thought, in my life time, I'll see Aussies, particularly from someone like Smith to allow such "act". Obviously, it's not one off and they have been doing it collectively. It's not surprising to me that the bakra (scapegoat) was Bancroft - a very replaceable and insignificant player. Aussies kept their 4 bowlers far away from the "act", Mitch & Shaun as well, while Smith & Warner could have denied it in straight face had it not been caught red handed. It had to be Bancroft or Kwaja - players, whose existence (or nonexistence) hardly matters.

From only that clue I can say, this has been a long term practice and every or most Aussie players knew about it, coaching staff as well, may be who knows - people at CA as well.
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The funny thing is that Bancroft has been their most consistent player this series. Still poor returns but Australia as a batting team have failed collectively.
 
giri26 said:
The funny thing is that Bancroft has been their most consistent player this series. Still poor returns but Australia as a batting team have failed collectively.
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This "act" wasn't planned on Day 3 of the 3rd Test. When the "task" & "responsibility" was assigned with adequate "tool" supplied, hardly anyone knew Bancroft would be one of the most consistent players of the series :(. Had Bancroft gone for a poor return in 1st 2 Tests, he could have been dropped from 3rd and, we might have been discussing the "act" with Kwaja or Renshaw ............................I hope, someone doesn't challenge on this hypothesis ......
 
Mamba Red said:
Maybe he has done it as well? Love the holier than thou attitude of Indian fans.
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yeah when some thief is caught, everyone goes around saying, maybe everyone else is also a thief. I don't know about the holier than thou attitude of Indians, but some posters here are sure using the opportunity to take pot shots
 
Disgusting.

Warner and Smith should be gone for at least a year, preferably forever.

I doubt CA will have the spine for the latter though.

Hopefully this is a turning point for the team behaviour wise. I have not been a fan since the Gilchrist years.
 
Weet-Bix shuns Smith as sponsors wait for answers

The images of under-siege Australian cricket captain Steve Smith have disappeared from the website of breakfast cereal Weet-Bix as sponsors await answers before making decisions on multimillion-dollar contracts.

Smith's future in the national team is up in the air as Cricket Australia investigates a plot to tamper with the ball during the third Test against South Africa over the weekend.

The 28-year-old skipper admitted to the plan, which was undertaken by batsman Cameron Bancroft with a piece of yellow tape, and he has already earned a one-match ban from the ICC.

An announcement on the results of CA's probe is not due until Wednesday morning AEDT but the Weet-Bix website jumped the gun on Tuesday, despite the cereal's parent company confirming that a formal decision is yet to be made.

Smith is no longer visible on the brand's website and the company has deleted a December 2015 tweet unveiling the cricketer as a 'Weet-Bix Kid'.

"We are interested in the detail of their investigation and the actions Cricket Australia will take on this matter," Sanitarium, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, said in a statement.

"Like the rest of Australia, we have been incredibly disappointed by the actions taken by the team over the weekend in South Africa."

Sanitarium had joined a number of sponsors on Monday in condemning the acts of the Australian cricket team.

"It’s a shameful moment for Australian sport,” said a spokeswoman for the food company, which also sponsors the Big Bash League.

"Sanitarium does not condone cheating in sport."

Finance group Magellan, KFC, Qantas, Bupa and XXXX Gold brewer Lion also shared their disappointment in forceful statements, calling on CA to take action.

Most sponsors were already in contact with the governing body and expected to make final decisions of their own once the investigation is complete.

The Weet-Bix website update came after Socceroos star Tim Cahill, another ambassador of the popular cereal, spoke of his desire to repair the hearts of Australian sports fans when they play Colombia in an international friendly on Wednesday morning AEDT.

"It's a sad moment for Australian sport," he said.

"We are very proud of where we come from and it's time now to make right for sport in Australia as a whole. We can play our part in that as a team and a squad tomorrow night.

"I feel as a staff and a group of players we need to do what we have been doing and be professional and train hard and fulfil our expectations to the Australian public and grow our game and our sport."

Smith stood down from the Australian captaincy for the final day of the Test in Cape Town after the scandal unfolded.

Opening batsman and vice-captain David Warner also relinquished his leadership position and reports have since emerged that he may have played a larger role in the saga than first thought.

He is believed to have personal sponsorship deals with Toyota, LG and Milo, all of which would be under threat should Warner fall foul of CA's investigation.

https://au.sports.yahoo.com/cricket...uns-steve-smith-as-sponsors-wait-for-answers/
 
Cozyrensetter said:
Why these things coming out now.Why not during Ashes.Ridiculous.Now people will say Aus won 2015 Wc by ball tampering and what not.
Click to expand...

Let me explain to you how it probably happened. Warner blurted out the truth of ball tampering in a drunk state to the english players. The English players told the saffers to look out for warner's ball tampering, the saffers get hell to warner on field which led to the whole de kock warner fiasco. Since warner was under so much scrutiny, the team decided to give the role of ball tampering to a newbie because all the spotlight was on warner in the series. Since the newbie bancroft was such a noob, he easily got caught by the cameras.

Conclusion- The aussies have been cheating for a very long time
 
They will most likely get a year for this.

People outside Australia don't really get that the idea of 'fair go' is pretty much central to how Australians believe themselves to be as a people, with sport the central manifestation of this belief. This is a much much bigger issue than it would be in most places because it has literally crushed this concept. I have spoken to about 30-40 people about this in the last few days and not a single person has brushed it off .. even if Smith ever comes back I don't think he'll ever be the same player; and he almost certainly will never be in the eyes of the public.
 
MMHS said:
During home Umpire era, I always believed Aussies were the biggest cheats - they would do systematic cheating, in coordination between players, umpires and commentators. And, that was a strategic act - to/for the key players, at the key moment and of a match deciding factor. To my memory, 1990 & 1996 AUS-PAK & 1991-92 AUS-IND were the 3 worst series I have ever seen, when it comes to biased home umpiring - might be 1986 AUS-IND series as well, but can't recall much.

But, this is new - I never thought, in my life time, I'll see Aussies, particularly from someone like Smith to allow such "act". Obviously, it's not one off and they have been doing it collectively. It's not surprising to me that the bakra (scapegoat) was Bancroft - a very replaceable and insignificant player. Aussies kept their 4 bowlers far away from the "act", Mitch & Shaun as well, while Smith & Warner could have denied it in straight face had it not been caught red handed. It had to be Bancroft or Kwaja - players, whose existence (or nonexistence) hardly matters.

From only that clue I can say, this has been a long term practice and every or most Aussie players knew about it, coaching staff as well, may be who knows - people at CA as well.
Click to expand...

I agree but don't you think everyone has been overreacting to this since we know that other teams especially Pakistanis/English/Saffers have all done it in the past and gotten away with it? For all the allegations of racism, there is enough video evidence of the 2 W's using their fingernails back in 1992 and it's still available on Youtube. Murray mints with the English in 2005, Saffers from 2013 onwards etc. How come only the Aussies are getting this kinda backlash? I
 
I Wonder what former umpire Darell hair's views would be on what has gone on during the game? ;)
 
WildSwing said:
Let me explain to you how it probably happened. Warner blurted out the truth of ball tampering in a drunk state to the english players. The English players told the saffers to look out for warner's ball tampering, the saffers get hell to warner on field which led to the whole de kock warner fiasco. Since warner was under so much scrutiny, the team decided to give the role of ball tampering to a newbie because all the spotlight was on warner in the series. Since the newbie bancroft was such a noob, he easily got caught by the cameras.

Conclusion- The aussies have been cheating for a very long time
Click to expand...

Why didn't the English media bring it up at the time then?
 
News coming in that Warner has gone rogue. Falling out with the rest of the team.

Apparently bowlers - Hazlewood and Starc - are angry at being implicated through mention of leadership group. Personally, I find it hard to believe that a ball tampering plan could go on without the collusion of bowlers. particularly Starc who benefited so much from it.
 
One thing ive learnt about the Aussies in this whole scenario...

They all act tough, macho and follow a bro code until things turn extremely sour! The moment Bancroft is caught on camera, he cr*ps his pants and does a stupid thing on camera again. The Moment Smith knows that the world will know that he put Bancroft upto this, he also panics and just admits to his mistake, also throwing the leadership group under the bus. The moment the leadership group (embodied in the form of David Warner) know their days are numbered, Warner goes all out and snitches on his team-mates and bowlers! Clearly these guys were never homies, brothers!

Some may call Hansie a criminal for withholding names of team mates to the police and the media. However one thing is for sure, the guy was not a snitch, he didnt scr*w the lives of guys who got away with it!

Are we to Respect Hansie more than Warner and Smith? Maybe not in a gentleman's world, however too much respect for Hansie in the streets of COMPTON!
 
AMSS said:
News coming in that Warner has gone rogue. Falling out with the rest of the team.

Apparently bowlers - Hazlewood and Starc - are angry at being implicated through mention of leadership group. Personally, I find it hard to believe that a ball tampering plan could go on without the collusion of bowlers. particularly Starc who benefited so much from it.
Click to expand...

Can you post a link or something please?
 
Convict said:
Why didn't the English media bring it up at the time then?
Click to expand...

Bring up what? Warner saying something stupid while being drunk is not going to get him in trouble, there needs to be actual evidence. Getting him caught red handed in the saffer series was a better plan.
 
Last edited:
R3verse Swing said:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/l...pering-steve-smith-england-ashes-updates-live

So seems like the SA team where suspicious from the get go!
Click to expand...

Yet another expert who knows that the the vast majority of reverse that the Pakistanis generate is through legal means. There is a reason we have the kind of pitches we do and why our fast bowlers have been so effective on them.


“It’s impossible for the ball to get altered like that on cricket wickets where we knew there was grass on, not a Pakistani wicket where there’s cracks every centimetre. We’re talking about [a] grass-covered wicket where you have to do something else to alter the shape, the roughness of the ball on the one side. You have to get the one side wetter, heavier than the other side.”
 
Nikhil_cric said:
I agree but don't you think everyone has been overreacting to this since we know that other teams especially Pakistanis/English/Saffers have all done it in the past and gotten away with it? For all the allegations of racism, there is enough video evidence of the 2 W's using their fingernails back in 1992 and it's still available on Youtube. Murray mints with the English in 2005, Saffers from 2013 onwards etc. How come only the Aussies are getting this kinda backlash? I
Click to expand...

This was premeditated cheating. Not the fingernails/teeth/mints stuff that is minor, widespread and a spur of the moment act.

How many teams have been found guilty of planning to ball-tamper in a team discussion, bringing a foreign object onto the field and then the captain bringing the whole team down with him instead of taking the full blame?
 
It's making me chuckle the Aussies are making an official complaint about the personal abuse they are receiving ... #please !!!! #SAvAUS
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) March 24, 2018



I'm glad it's making you laugh.
— Candice Warner (@CandyFalzon) March 24, 2018

Wow so you would approve of the same treatment to your wife and 3 kids??
— Candice Warner (@CandyFalzon) March 24, 2018
 
The reason this has blown up is because a lot fo people were involved, and this has been likely going on for a long time. Other incidents didn't gain as much traction because it wasn't that deep. It's because so many olayers were involved, a few of them snitched. This is a full blowm scandal, not just drama
 
Here's the thing. Even if the ball is rough on one side using foreign objects etc, it still takes immense skill to pull off reverse swing.

Wasim and Waqar were such Yodas, that umpires could change the ball all day long, every over, and they would still reverse it.

Also, in the early 90s, ball tampering was pretty much unknown, or at least how to gain an advantage from it - Reverse Swing. - which is why if you pull up any ball tampering controversy it starts with Atherton in 94, onto Tendulkar in 2001, Dravid in 2004, Inzi in 2006, Afridi in 2010, Faf in 2014, and now Bancroft.

You must also remember, Ian Botham lost a libel case against Imran Khan.

Meaning, it's one thing to tamper with the ball but quite another to make it work for you.

So yes, Aussies and the rest of the world are pure armatures when it comes to Reverse Swing, because Pakistan are the true masters of it! :)
 
MMHS said:
During home Umpire era, I always believed Aussies were the biggest cheats - they would do systematic cheating, in coordination between players, umpires and commentators. And, that was a strategic act - to/for the key players, at the key moment and of a match deciding factor. To my memory, 1990 & 1996 AUS-PAK & 1991-92 AUS-IND were the 3 worst series I have ever seen, when it comes to biased home umpiring - might be 1986 AUS-IND series as well, but can't recall much.

But, this is new - I never thought, in my life time, I'll see Aussies, particularly from someone like Smith to allow such "act". Obviously, it's not one off and they have been doing it collectively. It's not surprising to me that the bakra (scapegoat) was Bancroft - a very replaceable and insignificant player. Aussies kept their 4 bowlers far away from the "act", Mitch & Shaun as well, while Smith & Warner could have denied it in straight face had it not been caught red handed. It had to be Bancroft or Kwaja - players, whose existence (or nonexistence) hardly matters.

From only that clue I can say, this has been a long term practice and every or most Aussie players knew about it, coaching staff as well, may be who knows - people at CA as well.
Click to expand...

Damn. Scary stuff.

So much respect and fear of Aussie cricket team since forever. All diminishing now tho...

Next Ashes and Australia tour of India gonna be epic :jimmy :kohli

Heck even a UAE tour will be epic :yk
 
Poison said:
They will most likely get a year for this.

People outside Australia don't really get that the idea of 'fair go' is pretty much central to how Australians believe themselves to be as a people, with sport the central manifestation of this belief. This is a much much bigger issue than it would be in most places because it has literally crushed this concept. I have spoken to about 30-40 people about this in the last few days and not a single person has brushed it off .. even if Smith ever comes back I don't think he'll ever be the same player; and he almost certainly will never be in the eyes of the public.
Click to expand...

Wow great to see you post bro.
 
Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland will address media in Johannesburg at 7pm (4am AEDT).10:30IST
10 pm Pakistan time.
cricket.com.au
The comments are now flooded with "Don't be harsh on them.No life bans"
 
Cozyrensetter said:
Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland will address media in Johannesburg at 7pm (4am AEDT).10:30IST
10 pm Pakistan time.
cricket.com.au
The comments are now flooded with "Don't be harsh on them.No life bans"
Click to expand...

So about 1.5 hrs!?

Will defo tune in on cricket.com.au.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
I agree but don't you think everyone has been overreacting to this since we know that other teams especially Pakistanis/English/Saffers have all done it in the past and gotten away with it? For all the allegations of racism, there is enough video evidence of the 2 W's using their fingernails back in 1992 and it's still available on Youtube. Murray mints with the English in 2005, Saffers from 2013 onwards etc. How come only the Aussies are getting this kinda backlash? I
Click to expand...



There is a fine line between cheating & twisting rules to take advantage.

Without going to personals, let me put my thoughts on what actually is ball tempering. To me, ball tempering is an act to deform the ball with substances carried outside of game or person. Let me explain -

The mechanics behind swing of cricket ball is known to everyone - but, I give a very raw explanation. A cricket ball moving in air at 125K+ speed receives lots of air resistance; while the seem at ideal position works as a keel in motion. Common knowledge is that you keep the ball shining, air resistance will be low and keep upright seem with a slight angle (in wards or out wards) - you get in or out swing - conventional swing. Now, some players found it out that, same mechanics but you keep one side roughed up and one side polished, that conventional swing behaves irrationally - add seem position, wrist work, thumb, middle finger ..... you can do miracles with old ball, more than the new one with is hard and smooth in both sides.

Now, to achieve that players give lots of efforts - some legal, some illegal and some in between. For me, at the strict most judgement - every act on ball is illegal. One shouldn't shine it on the groin, because that changes ball condition from natural course. One shouldn't use sweat or spit on the ball to make one side heavy, one shouldn't touch the seem and one shouldn't drop/bump the ball.

But, there are acceptable acts which has been practices for long, like the ball shining, ball wetting (with sweat or spit), ball drying by the use of a towel or with darts from ground.

There are in between acts - which might not be in the perfect spirit of the game, but you can get away with, may be twisting fair play. One such act most teams with spinners do - that's bumping the ball on one bounce - it's not illegal, if fact as kid, when I was learning the game (not in BD), my coach used to tell us that close-in fielders MUST send the ball to non-striker end at one bounce (but not half-volley); because that's the fastest way to reach the bowler without crashing his palm. But, teams over do this often - unfair, indeed; illegal - no. Also, in olden days, there were many grounds with concrete outer ring - players deliberately allowed ball to roll after boundary and hit the wall .....

Then comes plucking the leather or seem with finger nails - human nails are not razors, you can't slice seasoned & burnished cow hide with nail, neither can pluck high grade fiber used to sew the Test grade ball. What players did (still do, but now keeping umpire in loop) is use finger nails to remove small pieces from ball, shape the seem ...and to the extent of plucking out the seem so that umpire changes the ball. Worst I have seen a player biting a ball, but with his own teeth - at least he didn't bring extra set of teeth and he can't unlock his jaws to keep teeth back at home :(

3rd level is using substances that a player carries with his person as a dress code (not born with it) - zip is the obvious example, and then there is examples of bowlers deliberately stepping on the ball while fielding and use spikes to create dent on the leather. But, in past I have seen many such acts and quite innovative one as well. I have seen players coming with heavy hair gel and then rubbing the ball on head. I have seen bowlers using that zinc layer (not sure what it is, Umar Akmal uses the green colored one) on ball. One classic story (example) B$ Bedi told, that in 1976 Delhi Test Peter Lever ran through Indian line-up with a "heavy" ball. At the end of the Test one of the Indian players went to Lever and told him point blank - "stop this kidding, we knew better use of Vaseline from our teen days :(". Worst I have seen is players carrying key ring while playing (absolutely no reason to bring keys when you are playing Internationals).

Next level is using/bringing substances from outside the game, that doesn't belong to the body or the game - one classic example was Mike Athers, a perfect gentleman who must have done that from naivety (I actuality do trust him). I have seen players plucking metal pieces/bottle caps from ground and "act" on the ball; I have seen players using wicket (stump) as a spear on the ball ...

Finally, we come to a deliberate, pre-planned act of cheating, when you accomplish the task collectively, and you bring "customized gears" for that - a gear that you can't explain why should it be in a cricket field (even key ring has a story - recently I caught my wife stealing money .........).

To me, 1st one is absolutely legal - you have to give bowling side some space.

2nd one is against the spirit of the game, but not punishable crime at first go - umpire is enough to handle the issue - call the Captain, ask him (his team) to behave for 1st offense. Then 5 runs penalty and I don't think it'll go to 3rd level thereafter.

3rd & 4th one are 1st & 2nd degree of cheating, but again it's often personal choice and a soft cheating, which most cases is a temporary act - that, player (s) is trying to gain some advantage for a specific period. A strong Match Referee is enough for this - penalty, fine, ban .... it should end there.

The 5th one is a serious offense - it's a crime in cricket context. You are nurturing cheating to the level of proficiency and sponsoring it from Management level. It shouldn't end only at Match Referees' office.

Aussies are getting too little, trust me - too little for the act. This is faaaaar beyond Tony Crafter umpiring at home Test or Shane Warne taking payment as a weather reporter. Now IPL is there for BCCI, so you might not feel the heat - turn back clock 20 years back - on same act, trust me IND-PAK cricket would have been mutilated, trust me literally shredded into pieces, and SRL, BD would have been used as a scarecrow ...... Aussies were not even fined 5 runs!!!!!!!!
 
Announcement due 6pm BST, 7pm Johannesburg time, 4am Australian eastern time



Cricket Australia announcement is now expected at 6pm BST

Players reportedly turned on David Warner on Monday night as the atmosphere “turned nuclear” and the deposed Australia vice-captain removing himself from the team’s What’sApp group

Matt Renshaw has been called into the squad for the fourth Test as a replacement.

The England coach Trevor Bayliss said, “As an Australian I’m embarrassed” by the ball-tampering revelations, while former Australia captain Steve Waugh said he was “deeply troubled” by events in Cape Town.

The ICC will not look into claims of ball-tampering during the Ashes
Click to expand...

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2018/mar/27/cricket-australia-set-to-wield-axe-over-ball-tampering-scandal-live
 
Ponting is supposed to succeed Lehmann as coach. Ponting, who is also a respected television commentator, has been reluctant to dip into full-time coaching because of its heavy demands but has been swayed due to the astounding circumstances Australian cricket suddenly finds itself in.
7news au
All the legends coming out now
 
Cozyrensetter said:
Ponting is supposed to succeed Lehmann as coach. Ponting, who is also a respected television commentator, has been reluctant to dip into full-time coaching because of its heavy demands but has been swayed due to the astounding circumstances Australian cricket suddenly finds itself in.
7news au
All the legends coming out now
Click to expand...

I am reading Justin Langer?
 
MMHS said:
There is a fine line between cheating & twisting rules to take advantage.

Without going to personals, let me put my thoughts on what actually is ball tempering. To me, ball tempering is an act to deform the ball with substances carried outside of game or person. Let me explain -

The mechanics behind swing of cricket ball is known to everyone - but, I give a very raw explanation. A cricket ball moving in air at 125K+ speed receives lots of air resistance; while the seem at ideal position works as a keel in motion. Common knowledge is that you keep the ball shining, air resistance will be low and keep upright seem with a slight angle (in wards or out wards) - you get in or out swing - conventional swing. Now, some players found it out that, same mechanics but you keep one side roughed up and one side polished, that conventional swing behaves irrationally - add seem position, wrist work, thumb, middle finger ..... you can do miracles with old ball, more than the new one with is hard and smooth in both sides.

Now, to achieve that players give lots of efforts - some legal, some illegal and some in between. For me, at the strict most judgement - every act on ball is illegal. One shouldn't shine it on the groin, because that changes ball condition from natural course. One shouldn't use sweat or spit on the ball to make one side heavy, one shouldn't touch the seem and one shouldn't drop/bump the ball.

But, there are acceptable acts which has been practices for long, like the ball shining, ball wetting (with sweat or spit), ball drying by the use of a towel or with darts from ground.

There are in between acts - which might not be in the perfect spirit of the game, but you can get away with, may be twisting fair play. One such act most teams with spinners do - that's bumping the ball on one bounce - it's not illegal, if fact as kid, when I was learning the game (not in BD), my coach used to tell us that close-in fielders MUST send the ball to non-striker end at one bounce (but not half-volley); because that's the fastest way to reach the bowler without crashing his palm. But, teams over do this often - unfair, indeed; illegal - no. Also, in olden days, there were many grounds with concrete outer ring - players deliberately allowed ball to roll after boundary and hit the wall .....

Then comes plucking the leather or seem with finger nails - human nails are not razors, you can't slice seasoned & burnished cow hide with nail, neither can pluck high grade fiber used to sew the Test grade ball. What players did (still do, but now keeping umpire in loop) is use finger nails to remove small pieces from ball, shape the seem ...and to the extent of plucking out the seem so that umpire changes the ball. Worst I have seen a player biting a ball, but with his own teeth - at least he didn't bring extra set of teeth and he can't unlock his jaws to keep teeth back at home :(

3rd level is using substances that a player carries with his person as a dress code (not born with it) - zip is the obvious example, and then there is examples of bowlers deliberately stepping on the ball while fielding and use spikes to create dent on the leather. But, in past I have seen many such acts and quite innovative one as well. I have seen players coming with heavy hair gel and then rubbing the ball on head. I have seen bowlers using that zinc layer (not sure what it is, Umar Akmal uses the green colored one) on ball. One classic story (example) B$ Bedi told, that in 1976 Delhi Test Peter Lever ran through Indian line-up with a "heavy" ball. At the end of the Test one of the Indian players went to Lever and told him point blank - "stop this kidding, we knew better use of Vaseline from our teen days :(". Worst I have seen is players carrying key ring while playing (absolutely no reason to bring keys when you are playing Internationals).

Next level is using/bringing substances from outside the game, that doesn't belong to the body or the game - one classic example was Mike Athers, a perfect gentleman who must have done that from naivety (I actuality do trust him). I have seen players plucking metal pieces/bottle caps from ground and "act" on the ball; I have seen players using wicket (stump) as a spear on the ball ...

Finally, we come to a deliberate, pre-planned act of cheating, when you accomplish the task collectively, and you bring "customized gears" for that - a gear that you can't explain why should it be in a cricket field (even key ring has a story - recently I caught my wife stealing money .........).

To me, 1st one is absolutely legal - you have to give bowling side some space.

2nd one is against the spirit of the game, but not punishable crime at first go - umpire is enough to handle the issue - call the Captain, ask him (his team) to behave for 1st offense. Then 5 runs penalty and I don't think it'll go to 3rd level thereafter.

3rd & 4th one are 1st & 2nd degree of cheating, but again it's often personal choice and a soft cheating, which most cases is a temporary act - that, player (s) is trying to gain some advantage for a specific period. A strong Match Referee is enough for this - penalty, fine, ban .... it should end there.

The 5th one is a serious offense - it's a crime in cricket context. You are nurturing cheating to the level of proficiency and sponsoring it from Management level. It shouldn't end only at Match Referees' office.

Aussies are getting too little, trust me - too little for the act. This is faaaaar beyond Tony Crafter umpiring at home Test or Shane Warne taking payment as a weather reporter. Now IPL is there for BCCI, so you might not feel the heat - turn back clock 20 years back - on same act, trust me IND-PAK cricket would have been mutilated, trust me literally shredded into pieces, and SRL, BD would have been used as a scarecrow ...... Aussies were not even fined 5 runs!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

OK fair enough. Thanks for the detailed explanation. I still think Smith should get a 5 test ban and this should be over with. Life bans are a little too much. Lehmann should be sacked and never appointed again though in any capacity.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
OK fair enough. Thanks for the detailed explanation. I still think Smith should get a 5 test ban and this should be over with. Life bans are a little too much. Lehmann should be sacked and never appointed again though in any capacity.
Click to expand...

May be, I am not against Smith, who is probably the biggest looser here.

However, I don't think Lehman is going to get much here. These type of "act" is conducted in a chain of command - you know only one level above & lower.

So, Bancroft only knows Smith - he has no lower level, if he is squeezed, he'll call names of Smith, we all know that

Smith knows both ends, and we also - Bancroft & Lehman....... he is in deep water, no one to back him, and both his ends are known to everyone, not much bargaining chip at hand

Lehman has an advantage - Smith can call his name, but he also should have someone's name above sitting at CA - I don't think, he'll be squeezed enough so that he starts calling names above .......

I might be proven wrong, but let's wait and see - my hunch is Lehman won't be sacked, rather he would step down; things will be defused in a year or two and he'll be back at CA in some Capacity .... add to that PLs & SLs contract.
 
WildSwing said:
Bring up what? Warner saying something stupid while being drunk is not going to get him in trouble, there needs to be actual evidence. Getting him caught red handed in the saffer series was a better plan.
Click to expand...

The English media was perfectly happy to directly state that the Australian team was making personal, across the line sledges to Johnny Bairstow.

But apparently wouldn't report allegations of Australian broadcasting because somehow the Daily Mail and co knew for sure that Supersports would catch this?

Seems a stretch.
 
Press conference in an hour according to the CA website. The suspense!
 
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