"It was a failure of leadership, my leadership" : Steve Smith

[AssassinatedDevil]

A devastated Steve Smith has broken down as he admitted the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal was a failure of his leadership.

Smith arrived back in Sydney today after being banned for 12 months and stripped of the Australian captaincy for at least two years.

“I want to, as captain of the Australian cricket team, I take full responsibility,” he said.

“I made a serious error in judgement.

“It was a failure of leadership, my leadership.

“I will do everything I can to make up for my mistake and the damage it’s caused.

“If any good is to come from this it can be a lesson for others and I hope I can be a force for change.

“I know I’ll regret this for the rest of my life. I’m absolutely gutted.”

Smith fronted a packed press conference at Sydney International Airport and delivered a heart-breaking message before breaking down when mentioning the impact the saga has had on his family.

“I say two things, or three things,” he said. “Firstly, I'm deeply sorry. I love the game of cricket, I love entertaining young kids, I love kids wanting to play the great game of cricket that I love.

“The two other things is that, any time you think about making a questionable decision, think about who you're affecting, you're affecting your parents.

"To see the way my old man's been ... it hurts. I just want to say I'm sorry for the pain that I've brought to Australia and the fans and the public, it's devastating and I'm truly sorry.”

 

[Rana]

Sad

 

[Oligochaetes]

"To see the way my old man's been ... it hurts.

This is the most heart breaking line he said in the press conference, even I teared up

 

[AssassinatedDevil]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Watch LIVE: Steve Smith addresses the media after returning home to Sydney <a href="https://t.co/ljh0A32bMh">https://t.co/ljh0A32bMh</a></p>— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) <a href="https://twitter.com/CricketAus/status/979278001576624128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[jagatk]

Sorry but not buying this. Every time he gets caught with his pants down he is sorry and says he did it for the first time. He talks about taking responsibility but he is the reason why most refuse to believe only 3 people were involved he was the one who implicated others in the first place.

His apology the first time was fake now he has added a few theatrics to the act to make it more believable.

 

[m.shah]

So sad.. One year ban is too much for tempering the ball.

 

[USofA]

No sympathies from my end. He made a conscious decision to cheat. He is responsible for whatever he is going through. Just own up to it (as he has already done), and move on.

Just go away from the public eye and come back after serving your time.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

It was, and he has always been a weak captain, he cant control his team out in the field, he leads purely due to the weight of his runs.

I find it hard to believe that this hasn't happened before, but regardless a part of me feels for him, especially as Warner has gone AWOL and a person who could have killed someone and is currently facing a criminal trial is still playing

 

[kaayal]

I like Smith. I feel bad for him now...

 

[Space Cat]

Must of been hard to watch for the rest of the team and Lehman who obviously knew what was going on but have got away scot free.

 

[90MPH]

The guy has become as easy target and convenient scapegoat.

Of course he has to take responsibility as he is captain but what about the rest ?

Did the bowlers have no idea what was going on ?? They didnt know at all about the tampering and previous tampering ? Not buying the official line.

The punishment doesn’t fit the crime but the mass hysteria from the Aussie media (and then sponsors) meant ACB caved in and wanted to make them an example.

 

[Cozyrensetter]

I don't remember the last time I saw a cricketer crying (which wasn't a retirement/celebration call)

This shook me! A mentally strong guy like him; crying!
In our subcontinent these politicians get away with murders , riots etc etc...have you ever seen remorse from them? We go around en masse attending their ralliesetc Where is our collective conscience then?

 

[SM1989]

Watching him cry was very satisfying. Its high time the arrogance of the Australian team was dealt a blow.

 

[90MPH]

Watching him cry was very satisfying. Its high time the arrogance of the Australian team was dealt a blow.

Really ? I would never be satisfied see someone cry - even my worst enemy.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

I feel for him. He's a nice guy who deserves another chance.

 

[Aman]

Didn't he lie about it being sandpaper the first time he apologized?

 

[AMSS]

The guy has become as easy target and convenient scapegoat.

Of course he has to take responsibility as he is captain but what about the rest ?

Did the bowlers have no idea what was going on ?? They didnt know at all about the tampering and previous tampering ? Not buying the official line.

The punishment doesn’t fit the crime but the mass hysteria from the Aussie media (and then sponsors) meant ACB caved in and wanted to make them an example.

I don't understand the point you are trying to make. Everyone is incredulous about their claim of this indiscretion being their first time AND that nobody else aside from these three knew of the plan.

Smith clearly failed in his leadership role to rein in the corrupt practices under his watch, possibly even encouraged and partook in them.

But now he has a chance to show true contrition and leadership and come clean on everyone who were involved and tell the public how long such shenanigans have been going on.

But has he done that? NO.

Instead, what we have before us is a choreographed spectacle where this press conference was the first step in ensuring Smith's eventual rehabilitation 12 months from now.

 

[90MPH]

I don't understand the point you are trying to make. Everyone is incredulous about their claim of this indiscretion being their first time AND that nobody else aside from these three knew of the plan.

Smith clearly failed in his leadership role to rein in the corrupt practices under his watch, possibly even encouraged and partook in them.

But now he has a chance to show true contrition and leadership and come clean on everyone who were involved and tell the public how long such shenanigans have been going on.

But has he done that? NO.

Instead, what we have before us is a choreographed spectacle where this press conference was the first step in ensuring Smith's eventual rehabilitation 12 months from now.

You don’t have to understand my point because it’s my opinion that ball tampering has been going on for donkey years and the other players especially bowlers know exactly when it happens.

I will say he should have intervened when the foreign object came on the field which has cost him now. That’s a big failure in which he accepts.

Still no that doesn’t mean he’s the devil along with the other 2 and the rest are angles. It seems to come across this way in the media.

 

[bantu]

I don’t belive him when he says this is the first time .. I don’t believe that Lehmann didn’t knew about it.
I am happy that Aussies are facing the heat ( regarding ball tampering, sledging/bullying others,etc) ..
Despite all this it was sad to watch this ...

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Smith is a great batsman and a greater leader.

Respect.

Hope he comes back and becomes the GOAT.

 

[Slog]

I don't remember the last time I saw a cricketer crying (which wasn't a retirement/celebration call)

This shook me! A mentally strong guy like him; crying!
In our subcontinent these politicians get away with murders , riots etc etc...have you ever seen remorse from them? We go around en masse attending their ralliesetc Where is our collective conscience then?

wow what a thought provoking post!

 

[SM1989]

Really ? I would never be satisfied see someone cry - even my worst enemy.

I can't express how happy I am. Always wanted to see the arrogant Aussies humiliated.

 

[SM1989]

Smith is a great batsman and a greater leader.

Respect.

Hope he comes back and becomes the GOAT.

Yeah a great leader who cheated. Great indeed.

 

[AMSS]

You don’t have to understand my point because it’s my opinion that ball tampering has been going on for donkey years and the other players especially bowlers know exactly when it happens.

I will say he should have intervened when the foreign object came on the field which has cost him now. That’s a big failure in which he accepts.

Still no that doesn’t mean he’s the devil along with the other 2 and the rest are angles. It seems to come across this way in the media.

I think you are making good points but not following them through.

Like you said, bowlers always know about it. And yet, Smith is still shielding his mates. Why? Because this choreographed settlement means he'll be rehabilitated back as soon as 12 months go by. Today's press conference was less of an act of contrition but more of an image management exercise to turn public sympathy in his favor.

And it's already working.

But the truth is that we still don't know about the true extent of corrupt practices and its executors in the aussie change room. That's because Smith is still lying and not willing to come clean.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Yeah a great leader who cheated. Great indeed.

A great leader is someone who takes responsibility and accept mistakes.

Smith accepted his mistakes when he could have stayed silent to figure out a way to weasel out of this.

I didn't see Graeme Smith accept anything when Faf was caught.

 

[shokz1408]

Really sad to see this.

It just reminded me of the movie hard candy that I saw a while ago, where you end up feeling sorry for the so called "bad guy" because of how severely he's being punished.

 

[troodon]

Faf got a much smaller punishment for tampering with the ball.

Zipper or sandpaper or bottle cap, tampering is tampering.

To me, this does not deserve the punishment Smith and Warner got.

 

[HARKS]

It's all as per script, mark my words, Trio, ACB and the coach has scripted this, first harsh ban, then create sympathy and reduce ban, most likely they are following Pakistan punshiment pattern, any way there is no test cricket for next 6 months for Aus,trio will play most likely against India The biggest loser ACB, they going to lose millions in broadcast deal and they cannot even bargain with them

 

[HARKS]

I just don't buy this hoodwinking, they are just trying to bury everything by harsh punishment and some sympathy created they will reduce the ban

 

[Slog]

I think you are making good points but not following them through.

Like you said, bowlers always know about it. And yet, Smith is still shielding his mates. Why? Because this choreographed settlement means he'll be rehabilitated back as soon as 12 months go by. Today's press conference was less of an act of contrition but more of an image management exercise to turn public sympathy in his favor.

And it's already working.

But the truth is that we still don't know about the true extent of corrupt practices and its executors in the aussie change room. That's because Smith is still lying and not willing to come clean.

Even if he is rehabilitated in 12 months isnt he already punished?

the official ICC punishment is just ONE match so it is multiple dozen times more than that already

 

[Cozyrensetter]

wow what a thought provoking post!

Thanks man

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Obviously no one believes this is the first time they are tampering the ball.

Expecting people to be 100% honest in a complicated system is naive.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

I feel for him.

But I think he is has been made an example of so that the culture in the team changes.

Let's see if it works.

It will be weird to see the Aussies being nice on the field.

 

[Ab Fan]

A great leader is someone who takes responsibility and accept mistakes.

Smith accepted his mistakes when he could have stayed silent to figure out a way to weasel out of this.

I didn't see Graeme Smith accept anything when Faf was caught.

It is unfortunate for Smith that his legacy as a leader will be remembered of as a cheat whose antics questioned the integrity and spirit of Australian cricket.

In contrast, Faf legacy as a captain will be much bigger. He will be remembered as someone who led SA side during their downfall and won them a series in Australia with a nothing side. Someone who was not only a great tactician but carried SA during their downfall.

While Faf get away with ball-tampering twice, Smith has to suffer this humiliation for one year and things won't be as easy when he returns back to the squad.

 

[RainMan_]

Absolutely pathetic from cricket Australia. They have made a mountain out of mole hill and treated Smith very harshly in order to stroke their misplaced ego.

I m still finding it hard to belive that a player of Smith's caliber can get banned for one year for tempering the ball.

 

[Slog]

Lets be clear about One thing

If Cricket Australia wanted they could have easily nipped this in the bud and not let it become the huge uproar it became

As shown in CA findings, it was a team decision to come clean (in terms of it being planned) in the press conference.

Additionally, the ICC had already announced its punishment so strictly speaking the ball tampering issue had been dealt with and could have been done with. At most CA could have given fines and perhaps a few more matches and that would have been that...

So this ridiculous assertion of CA choreographing a 'soft' sentence for the ball tampering issue is frankly ignorant and not based on facts.

If they wanted Smith and co could have been let away with bans of just a handful of matches

 

[R3verse Swing]

Oh, I should add, claiming that only 3 people knew? Bancroft, Smith, and Warner? A complete utter lie too!

At the very least, the Aussie bowlers had to have known that tampering was going on! Otherwise what was the point of ball tampering if the bowlers were not going to exploit it?

It's just CA felt banning 3 players is better collateral damage, than banning 6+ players and a coach!

There is more to this story than Smith's tears!

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Oh, I should add, claiming that only 3 people knew? Bancroft, Smith, and Warner? A complete utter lie too!

At the very least, the Aussie bowlers had to have known that tampering was going on! Otherwise what was the point of ball tampering if the bowlers were not going to exploit it?

It's just CA felt banning 3 players is better collateral damage, than banning 6+ players and a coach!

There is more to this story than Smith's tears!

Blame CA for that.

Smith aint no snitch.

 

[Tyler Durden]

A great leader is someone who takes responsibility and accept mistakes.

Smith accepted his mistakes when he could have stayed silent to figure out a way to weasel out of this.

I didn't see Graeme Smith accept anything when Faf was caught.

Mate! He had to admit and take the responsibility cause he was red handedly caught on camera along with his teammates doing dirty work on field. Not only him, but also involved a young player and ruined his career! If there was no camera evidence, do you think he would have accepted it immediately? Hell no! I;m not against smith, but calling him a great leader despite his wrong-doings over and over is highly dubious.

"Smith a Great Batsman" - Agree!
"Smith a Great Captain" - Disagree Strongly!

 

[HARKS]

Lets be clear about One thing

If Cricket Australia wanted they could have easily nipped this in the bud and not let it become the huge uproar it became

As shown in CA findings, it was a team decision to come clean (in terms of it being planned) in the press conference.

Additionally, the ICC had already announced its punishment so strictly speaking the ball tampering issue had been dealt with and could have been done with. At most CA could have given fines and perhaps a few more matches and that would have been that...

So this ridiculous assertion of CA choreographing a 'soft' sentence for the ball tampering issue is frankly ignorant and not based on facts.

If they wanted Smith and co could have been let away with bans of just a handful of matches

It's because it's their brand which is at stake, cricket Australia brand there is already few sponsors cutting their ties or in process of cutting their ties, it will a long term finical impact plus there is broadcast deal coming shortly which already there is speculation they will lose millions of dollars already

 

[HARKS]

They need to show to sponsors and others back home that they are dealing harshly regarding this matter, bcz if they lose Smith or warner there will be others to take the torch and carry but if sponsors come to think that brand Australia is not compatible with them then that it finshed, it will have a long term impact , in this world most important thing in ur business is ur Brand

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Mate! He had to admit and take the responsibility cause he was red handedly caught on camera along with his teammates doing dirty work on field. Not only him, but also involved a young player and ruined his career! If there was no camera evidence, do you think he would have accepted it immediately? Hell no! I;m not against smith, but calling him a great leader despite his wrong-doings over and over is highly dubious.

"Smith a Great Batsman" - Agree!
"Smith a Great Captain" - Disagree Strongly!

I completely agree with you.

He wouldn't hav admitted if there was no camera but so wouldn't hav any other player.

Bancroft was caught in camera. Punishment by ICC was one test.

How hard would it be for Smith to contact CA, figure out a solution where Bancroft takes the blame, sits out for a game and gets rewarded through a backdoor deal?

CA wouldn't hav had to deal with public outrage and sponsor backlash.

Smith would hav saved himself.

Bancroft qould hav missed a test or two but had the captain of Aus team owe him BIG time.

Win win win deal.

Instead Smith admitted in the press conference which put CA in a tough spot and they went ape ****.


He did it to protect his player thinking there won't be major consequences. In fact, one can say he was a bit stupid and arrogant to admit before waiting it out and paid the price.

I am reminded of a statement by Chanakya

"A man should be truthful but not too truthful."

Something similar to that.

 

[Tyler Durden]

I completely agree with you.

He wouldn't hav admitted if there was no camera but so wouldn't hav any other player.

Bancroft was caught in camera. Punishment by ICC was one test.

How hard would it be for Smith to contact CA, figure out a solution where Bancroft takes the blame, sits out for a game and gets rewarded through a backdoor deal?

CA wouldn't hav had to deal with public outrage and sponsor backlash.

Smith would hav saved himself.

Bancroft qould hav missed a test or two but had the captain of Aus team owe him BIG time.

Win win win deal.

Instead Smith admitted in the press conference which put CA in a tough spot and they went ape ****.


He did it to protect his player thinking there won't be major consequences. In fact, one can say he was a bit stupid and arrogant to admit before waiting it out and paid the price.

I am reminded of a statement by Chanakya

"A man should be truthful but not too truthful."

Something similar to that.

True that he was very stupid and over-confident to admit it before waiting for just a day's time and talk with CA and sort things out, but was arrogant and paid the price immensely. I feel for him, but he digged his own grave! Hope he will come back stronger.

Aww! That Chanakya's quote is an eye-opener for sure!

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

True that he was very stupid and over-confident to admit it before waiting for just a day's time and talk with CA and sort things out, but was arrogant and paid the price immensely. I feel for him, but he digged his own grave! Hope he will come back stronger.

Aww! That Chanakya's quote is an eye-opener for sure!

I found the actual quote

"A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first."

Wow. Haha.

What a guy.

 

[TM Riddle]

Moral of the story: Do not ever admit any wrongdoing done on cricket field openly. Just stay silent and when they catch you, all ICC would do is probably fine you a percentage of match fee or worse suspension from one test match. Clearly Smith was being an idiot when he openly accepted that this was all premeditated. I mean look at how Faf got out without any hoopla.

 

[Tyler Durden]

I found the actual quote

"A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first."

Wow. Haha.

What a guy.

Haha! Absolutely! These quotes remind me of my school days cause I used to watch Chanakya TV serial in Doordarshan back in the day!

 

[Arham_PakFan]

I do not like the boorish behaviour of the Australian team neither do I think that the ball tampering trio were innocent.But I think the bans for Smith and Bancroft were too harsh.Yes,they cheated but the bans should have been shorter and Smith should have been removed from Captaincy.I agree with Warner’s ban,since his behavior has been pathetic for too long.

Sad to see Smith break down into tears..

 

[IAJ]

I don't remember the last time I saw a cricketer crying (which wasn't a retirement/celebration call)

This shook me! A mentally strong guy like him; crying!
In our subcontinent these politicians get away with murders , riots etc etc...have you ever seen remorse from them? We go around en masse attending their ralliesetc Where is our collective conscience then?

The last cricket I remember crying was sreesanth after that Harbajhan incident.

Anyways Smithy will be back as a batsman and he will continue to dominate bowlers.

 

[lahoriyah1234]

I am sorry to say, regardless of what has happened and the fact leader was involved in this act of bringing the game into shame. Steve smith should have been penalised but not banned for 1 year. Most teams in the world temper the ball, we saw how England won ashes in 2005, Micheal vaughan being an innocent child that his team didnt do it, its all rubbish we all saw how freddie and jones were reverse swinging the ball.

Steve Smith deserve punishment but the way ACB has treated the whole affair as if he has fixed the match and sold Australia integrity and honesty of Australian cricket history.

ACB has made situation worse for their players and for their respective board itself, this should have been treated as an offence under ICC rules banned them for few games and they should have apologised and steve should have resigned and makes him available as a player for future games.

David Warner has a history of problems so he deserves this as he is the one who put this through Steve head to go ahead with.

I feel sorry for Steve smith he should have been treated better than this by ACB and its media. I thought western people have respectable way of dealing with such situations but i was wrong, they did exactly how asian media does.

They are humans and can make a mistakes but as long as they did not sell their country' for money, they don't deserve such harsh punishment.

 

[Aman]

Smith is a great batsman and a greater leader.

Respect.

Hope he comes back and becomes the GOAT.

You're joking, right?...

A great leader would have never allowed this to happen and would have a better team culture in place.

 

[Aman]

I do not like the boorish behaviour of the Australian team neither do I think that the ball tampering trio were innocent.But I think the bans for Smith and Bancroft were too harsh.Yes,they cheated but the bans should have been shorter and Smith should have been removed from Captaincy.I agree with Warner’s ban,since his behavior has been pathetic for too long.

Sad to see Smith break down into tears..

Smith lied after being caught. They used sandpaper and he was aware of this but lied to make themselves look better.

They've brought shame to Australian cricket and fans are beginning to wonder how long they've been doing this for.

 

[Aman]

Sorry but not buying this. Every time he gets caught with his pants down he is sorry and says he did it for the first time. He talks about taking responsibility but he is the reason why most refuse to believe only 3 people were involved he was the one who implicated others in the first place.

His apology the first time was fake now he has added a few theatrics to the act to make it more believable.

He lied after he was caught about what was used. He only has himself to blame.

 

[jagatk]

He lied after he was caught about what was used. He only has himself to blame.

Lehmann's press conference just confirms what i felt about smith's apology, add a few tears and hope the public feel sorry for you.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

You're joking, right?...

A great leader would have never allowed this to happen and would have a better team culture in place.

Ideally yes.

But things are not so black and white.

Ball tampering is a hidden secret which is done in various degrees.

But if we gonna define everything in absolute terms, then people should never call Graeme Smith a great leader.

Or Imran Khan.

But they do.

Anyways, I was referring to the fact he owned up to it to protect his player. It takes a lot of guts and heart to admit your mistake.

Mark of a great leader (not to be confused with great captain or tactician).

 

[shokz1408]

Lehmann's press conference just confirms what i felt about smith's apology, add a few tears and hope the public feel sorry for you.

Tears are just an expression of pain. Even if they did not cry I am pretty sure that's how hurt and in pain they are on the inside. Their whole world has been turned upside down.

 

[jagatk]

Tears are just an expression of pain. Even if they did not cry I am pretty sure that's how hurt and in pain they are on the inside. Their whole world has been turned upside down.

I am sure every convict is in pain when he hears his sentence, that is not remorse that is just self pity and especially when done just so that the watching public might feel sad for you it is worse. I don't feel sorry for such people.

 

[James]

LOL this just keeps getting better.

 

[jagatk]

Ideally yes.

But things are not so black and white.

Ball tampering is a hidden secret which is done in various degrees.

But if we gonna define everything in absolute terms, then people should never call Graeme Smith a great leader.

Or Imran Khan.

But they do.

Anyways, I was referring to the fact he owned up to it to protect his player. It takes a lot of guts and heart to admit your mistake.

Mark of a great leader (not to be confused with great captain or tactician).

sorry SIF but don't think he did any of that, he took the heat because of what it looked like. No one in their right mind would believe he didn't know or that this was Bancroft's idea, how do you think his teammates would have reacted if he let a guy who has played 8 games take the fall when it wasn't even his fault, i wouldn't trust such a guy to lead would you?

Also he didn't take any responsibility, responsibility is taking the blame on yourself protecting others. He didn't protect Bancroft rather tried to lessen the impact of his and Bancroft's mistake by including atleast half the team if media reports were to be believed with his leadership group nonsense.

 

[Aman]

Ideally yes.

But things are not so black and white.

Ball tampering is a hidden secret which is done in various degrees.

But if we gonna define everything in absolute terms, then people should never call Graeme Smith a great leader.

Or Imran Khan.

But they do.

Anyways, I was referring to the fact he owned up to it to protect his player. It takes a lot of guts and heart to admit your mistake.

Mark of a great leader (not to be confused with great captain or tactician).

You do realize even after he was caught he lied about what they used?

Great leader )

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

sorry SIF but don't think he did any of that, he took the heat because of what it looked like. No one in their right mind would believe he didn't know or that this was Bancroft's idea, how do you think his teammates would have reacted if he let a guy who has played 8 games take the fall when it wasn't even his fault, i wouldn't trust such a guy to lead would you?

Also he didn't take any responsibility, responsibility is taking the blame on yourself protecting others. He didn't protect Bancroft rather tried to lessen the impact of his and Bancroft's mistake by including atleast half the team if media reports were to be believed with his leadership group nonsense.

1. First of all, he protected Bancroft by putting the blame on leadership group. That's the most he could do considering Bancroft was literally caught on camera.

2. As for an alternative, check out one of my previous post #50

How hard would it be for Smith to contact CA, figure out a solution where Bancroft takes the blame, sits out for a game and gets rewarded through a backdoor deal?

CA wouldn't hav had to deal with public outrage and sponsor backlash.

Smith would hav saved himself.

Bancroft qould hav missed a test or two but had the captain of Aus team owe him BIG time.

Win win win deal.

Instead Smith admitted in the press conference which put CA in a tough spot and they went ape ****.

He did it to protect his player thinking there won't be major consequences. In fact, one can say he was a bit stupid and arrogant to admit before waiting it out and paid the price.

3. Yes, if he had chickened out, he would have lost respect but how much really considering the punishment for ICC is barely 1 test and as a captain of Aus team, he could have helped Bancroft's career BIG TIME later on. I bet Bancroft may be wishing now that Smith hadn't admitted this. Cost him 9 months of his career instead of 1 test.

4. Look at how SA played out Faf issue. Faf and Philander took the blame, got fined and everyone went scot free. No one expected CA to go nuclear or else this issue would have been forgotten in a couple of months.

 

[jagatk]

1. First of all, he protected Bancroft by putting the blame on leadership group. That's the most he could do considering Bancroft was literally caught on camera.

2. As for an alternative, check out one of my previous post #50



3. Yes, if he had chickened out, he would have lost respect but how much really considering the punishment for ICC is barely 1 test and as a captain of Aus team, he could have helped Bancroft's career BIG TIME later on. I bet Bancroft may be wishing now that Smith hadn't admitted this. Cost him 9 months of his career instead of 1 test.

4. Look at how SA played out Faf issue. Faf and Philander took the blame, got fined and everyone went scot free. No one expected CA to go nuclear or else this issue would have been forgotten in a couple of months.

CA went ape **** and sponsors demanded action because public lost it, there would have been no deal for bancroft, if he alone was responsible only way out for him was end of his Australian career. Public wanted a head they got 4.

Faf issue and every other issue weren't big because the outrage wasn't big and those were isolated incidents, you could say he is cheating and his team must know but what was captured on camera could never prove that, here the whole footage played like a conspiracy theory where everyone's involved.

Aussies change their regular ball handler due to the spot light on him, Bancroft gets caught, the coach sends a message to get rid of the thing, then the captain and player come together and lie about it to the umpire.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

CA went ape **** and sponsors demanded action because public lost it, there would have been no deal for bancroft, if he alone was responsible only way out for him was end of his Australian career. Public wanted a head they got 4.

Faf issue and every other issue weren't big because the outrage wasn't big and those were isolated incidents, you could say he is cheating and his team must know but what was captured on camera could never prove that, here the whole footage played like a conspiracy theory where everyone's involved.

Aussies change their regular ball handler due to the spot light on him, Bancroft gets caught, the coach sends a message to get rid of the thing, then the captain and player come together and lie about it to the umpire.

The important point was that ALL the outrage happened AFTER Smith admitted it.

Smith and co thought they would admit, pay a few fines and walk away. In fact, when he admitted it, Smith said he wouldn't step down as captain (if I am not wrong) which shows how much he knew at that time.

 

[jagatk]

The important point was that ALL the outrage happened AFTER Smith admitted it.

Smith and co thought they would admit, pay a few fines and walk away. In fact, when he admitted it, Smith said he wouldn't step down as captain (if I am not wrong) which shows how much he knew at that time.

Nope even if say Bancroft admitted to doing it alone the public outrage would have still been there. He used sandpaper to cheat last I checked you don't find sandpaper readily available on a cricket ground so the premeditated nature which for many was the biggest issue wouldn't have disappeared.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Nope even if say Bancroft admitted to doing it alone the public outrage would have still been there. He used sandpaper to cheat last I checked you don't find sandpaper readily available on a cricket ground so the premeditated nature which for many was the biggest issue wouldn't have disappeared.

Be that as it may, it's still hypotheticals.

Let's look at it from a different way:

If Smith knew Bancroft's career was going down the drain and he still admitted knowing the consequences.....what does that say of his character?

Respect from team mates is at stake but it means nothing when your entire career is at stake.

Whichever angle we look at, it's commendable that Smith admitted.

Stupid but commendable.

 

[jagatk]

Be that as it may, it's still hypotheticals.

Let's look at it from a different way:

If Smith knew Bancroft's career was going down the drain and he still admitted knowing the consequences.....what does that say of his character?

Respect from team mates is at stake but it means nothing when your entire career is at stake.

Whichever angle we look at, it's commendable that Smith admitted.

Stupid but commendable.

I think we will have to just agree to disagree here. I don't think Smith did anything to protect Bancroft other than putting the doubt about half the team in everyone's head. You think he did a commendable act as a captain taking responsibility even if it was for a deplorable act.

Also don't think he or anyone thought this was going to happen, most didn't think it would be more than a slap on the wrist.

 

[UN talkz]

Guys this thread is about Smith and SandPaperGate, So better stick to the topic

No point wasting your time and energy in writing stuff that would ultimately get deleted

So please Stay On Topic

 

[gani999]

I like the way Smith, Warner and Bancroft have publicly apologised and accepted their faults. It shows that notwithstanding their actions, they are men of real character.

Unlike some of our subcontinental fruitcakes who plead innocence even when caught with their pants down.

Got to agree with [MENTION=134809]sensible-indian-fan[/MENTION].

 

[TeamPak95]

Saw the video, was very hard to watch.

 

[Robert]

I don't remember the last time I saw a cricketer crying (which wasn't a retirement/celebration call)

This shook me! A mentally strong guy like him; crying!

I have seen it a lot. Kim Hughes, and several England skippers, and a few MLB players too.

Men crying is strength not weakness. The opposite is to bottle up the hurt and make yourself mentally ill.

 

[Hasan123]

Smith has shown remorse for his actions. Shouldn't have done what he did. He will learn from this and bounce back. Will miss his batting.

 

[Markhor]

We live in an age of social media where the mob whips up a relentless frenzy so they get the pleasure of seeing public figures implode.

Look, I don't like the way Australian players have conducted themselves on the field over the years. Their behaviour has been boorish, their sledging routinely crossing the boundary between banter and vulgar personal abuse. They asked their fans to target Stuart Broad during the 13/14 Ashes yet sanctimoniously complain about crowd abuse in South Africa and sledging from opponents. Yes there is the cricket fan in me that thinks Australia had this coming.

Smith and Bancroft brazenly cheated the game and then lied to the umpires despite the worldwide television audience seeing definitive proof of their antics. They must live with the label of cheat for the rest of their careers and deserved a proportionate punishment.

HOWEVER, I don't take pleasure from seeing a grown man break down like this and lose the captaincy he'd have been dreaming of attaining ever since he was a kid. I don't take any satisfaction from seeing someone lose their livelihood for 12 months. The trio have also lost their sponsorships so let's be clear that they are being punished more severely than any perpetrator of ball tampering in recent memory. Its ludicrous to say they've got off lightly.

 

[Savak]

We live in an age of social media where the mob whips up a relentless frenzy so they get the pleasure of seeing public figures implode.

Look, I don't like the way Australian players have conducted themselves on the field over the years. Their behaviour has been boorish, their sledging routinely crossing the boundary between banter and vulgar personal abuse. They asked their fans to target Stuart Broad during the 13/14 Ashes yet sanctimoniously complain about crowd abuse in South Africa and sledging from opponents. Yes there is the cricket fan in me that thinks Australia had this coming.

Smith and Bancroft brazenly cheated the game and then lied to the umpires despite the worldwide television audience seeing definitive proof of their antics. They must live with the label of cheat for the rest of their careers and deserved a proportionate punishment.

HOWEVER, I don't take pleasure from seeing a grown man break down like this and lose the captaincy he'd have been dreaming of attaining ever since he was a kid. I don't take any satisfaction from seeing someone lose their livelihood for 12 months. The trio have also lost their sponsorships so let's be clear that they are being punished more severely than any perpetrator of ball tampering in recent memory. Its ludicrous to say they've got off lightly.

Where was this sympathy for Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir in 2010? What would the global reaction be if this was a Pakistani Cricketer? Absolutely ridiculous double standards this sympathy for Steve Smith. God knows how long this had been going on for under his watch. It will be interesting to see how Starc and Hazelwood do without a tampered ball

 

[kingusama92]

CA has ruined one of their greatest batsmen.

Pathetic.

 

[kingusama92]

Where was this sympathy for Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir in 2010? What would the global reaction be if this was a Pakistani Cricketer? Absolutely ridiculous double standards this sympathy for Steve Smith. God knows how long this had been going on for under his watch. It will be interesting to see how Starc and Hazelwood do without a tampered ball

What would your reaction be if Smith was Pakistani?

 

[AssassinatedDevil]

Steve Smith's message to a heartbroken 9-year-old fan

After Thursday night's press conference with disgraced former Australian cricket captain Steve Smith, Channel Nine reporter Deborah Knight tweeted about having to console her son Darcy, a "major Steve Smith fan" who'd had his heart broken by his idol's role in the cheating scandal.

"Just spent 20 minutes consoling my crying 9 year old who is a major Steve Smith fan after he watched the press conference," she wrote.

"Encouraging him and all kids to write Steve a letter telling him how much you love and admire him."

It was retweeted hundreds of times.

Not long after, Knight received a direct message. It was Steve Smith himself, asking her to pass on his personal apology to Darcy.

Writing for 9honey on Friday, Knight went through how she explained the scandal and Smith's punishment to her son, along with the life lessons she hopes he will take from it.

"I want my son to know that you can’t cheat. You can’t try to get away with doing the wrong thing. And if you do break the rules you have to face and accept your punishment. But I also want my son to show forgiveness and compassion and to give people the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and move on," she wrote.

Knight says she is also encouraging her son and other children to contact Smith and show their support.
"We want Steve to know that we love and admire him - and we hope other people will do the same," she wrote.

"It would be a powerful thing for the kids of Australia who love cricket to let Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft know that they are thinking of them."

Smith, along with vice-captain David Warner, was banned from international and domestic cricket for a year by Cricket Australia for their role in the ball-tampering scandal that occurred in the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town last Saturday.

Young batsman Cameron Bancroft, who applied sandpaper to the ball before hiding the sandpaper in his trousers, was banned for nine months.

All three have also lost sponsorships and endorsement deals.

Bancroft also fronted local media after arriving home to Perth from South Africa on Thursday. He said he will regret Saturday's ball tampering incident "for the rest of his life" and asked Australian and international fans to "find it in their hearts" to forgive him.

Warner posted an apology message to Twitter that said "you will hear from me in a few days".

Despite widespread anger at the trio earlier in the week, it seems Australians are ready to forgive – Smith and Bancroft, at least. After their contrite public apologies on Thursday, many have taken to social media to say enough is enough, and it's time to move on.

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricke...artbroken-9-year-old-fan-20180330-p4z75h.html

 

[UN talkz]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The world simply wants to see you cry, once you have cried they will feel satisfied and live happily ever after. If only Empathy was not just a Word and people still had it. God give <a href="https://twitter.com/stevesmith49?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@stevesmith49</a> and Bancroft all the strength to come out of this.&#55357;&#56911;</p>— Ashwin Ravichandran (@ashwinravi99) <a href="https://twitter.com/ashwinravi99/status/979564514709405696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[shaz619]

Where was this sympathy for Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir in 2010? What would the global reaction be if this was a Pakistani Cricketer? Absolutely ridiculous double standards this sympathy for Steve Smith. God knows how long this had been going on for under his watch. It will be interesting to see how Starc and Hazelwood do without a tampered ball

So fixing and tampaering are the same offence for you then ?

 

[Savak]

What would your reaction be if Smith was Pakistani?

2-3 match punishment, fine, stripping of captaincy. But no sympathy for these guys, no one sympathized or cared about the Pakistani trio in 2010 even though they didn't really do something that was criminal in nature, they didn't take money to lose their country the game but went through absolute hell for 5 plus years and even going to prison. Where was the entire world back then? Why was the country of Pakistan being called a country of cheats just on the basis of what 3 individuals did? Where were the chants "Good people can make mistakes, they are not bad people" e.t.c.

Sorry but frankly speaking Pakistani's should stop getting affected by a few tears on tv. These players are trying to ressurect whatever is left of their careers and lives

 

[Savak]

So fixing and tampaering are the same offence for you then ?

Spot fixing is not aimed at losing your country the game. These are the same Australians who like to lecture others on how to play the game, where to draw the line, who like to pounce on others for indiscretions. So no sympathy in this case

 

[Varun]

Steve Smith's message to a heartbroken 9-year-old fan

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just spent 20 minutes consoling my crying 9 year old who is a major Steve Smith fan after he watched the press conference. Encouraging him and all kids to write Steve a letter telling him how much you love and admire him.</p>— deborah knight (@deborah_knight) <a href="https://twitter.com/deborah_knight/status/979286681663647744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg70yOwnXHH/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); widthlc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg70yOwnXHH/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-stylermal; font-weightrmal; line-height:17px; text-decorationne; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Surprised and humbled that [MENTION=19392]steve[/MENTION]_smith49 has taken time to contact my son directly.</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-spacewrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/deborah_knight/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-stylermal; font-weightrmal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Deborah Knight</a> (@deborah_knight) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2018-03-30T0417+00:00">Mar 29, 2018 at 9:57pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async defer src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Surprised and humbled that <a href="https://twitter.com/stevesmith49?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" [MENTION=19392]steve[/MENTION]smith49</a> has taken time to contact my son directly to personally apologise for making him so upset. He’s told Darcy that he’s glad he his support.</p>— deborah knight (@deborah_knight) <a href="https://twitter.com/deborah_knight/status/979581730377031680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Good lord. Enough already!