The cricket community has reacted with shock and outrage to revelations of Australia’s premeditated attempt to cheat in the third Test against South Africa.
Steve Smith, who has made it clear he doesn’t intend to stand down as skipper over the ball-tampering furore, and his leadership group discussed the merits of using sticky tape to illegally alter the ball at lunch on day three of the contest in Cape Town.
Cameron Bancroft was then caught using the tape, which had debris from the pitch, while working on the ball.
The opener, who attempted to hide the tape from umpires, has been charged by the match referee.
Michael Clarke was among the millions of Australians waking up on Sunday to headlines and news bulletins they could scarcely believable.
“WHAT THE …….. HAVE I JUST WOKEN UP TO. Please tell me this is a bad dream,” Clarke posted on Twitter.
Michael Vaughan led chorus of condemnation and criticism from other former players.
“Steve Smith,his Team & ALL the management will have to accept that whatever happens in their careers they will all be known for trying to CHEAT the game,” former England captain Vaughan tweeted.
The four-Test series between Australia and South Africa has been marred by a handful of ugly controversies, starting with a staircase stoush between David Warner and Quinton de Kock.
There isn’t exactly a good time for such an incident to unfold but it could hardly have been timed more poorly for Smith’s side and Cricket Australia.
On the field, the series was locked 1-1 and the team’s desperation to win has overridden their moral compasses.
Off the field, CA has been trying to improve the image of its side while lodging an official complaint about the vile nature of abuse from South African spectators.
“The Australian camp has been lecturing people lately on how the game should be played and a line that shouldn’t be crossed,” former England captain Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports
“Some of the stuff that has come out of the Australian camp, especially, has been laughable.
“Well, it looks like they’re on the wrong side of the line here.
“It does not look good for the image of the game.
“It looks terrible, a premeditated move to get reverse swing and a blatant attempt to ball tamper.”
Injured Proteas paceman Dale Steyn and recently-retired batsman Kevin Pietersen questioned whether coach Darren Lehmann was aware of Australia’s plan, something Smith denied while speaking to reporters.
“This will be Darren Lehmann’s greatest test as a coach, cos (sic) I will struggle to believe that this was all Bancroft’s idea,” Pietersen posted on Twitter.
Steyn replied that “nothing in professional sport is done without the consent of your captain and coach”.
Featured image via Sky News.
Top Comments
Wow, that’s pretty appalling. Can’t imagine what kids like my cricket-mad 10 year old nephew are thinking right now.
For too many Australians, cricket is not a sport, it is a war. Australian cricket has a reputation for intimidation and sledging on the field that goes back for decades. Whenever Australians were winning, they gloated by picking on weak opponents like the English batsman, Jonathan Trott, who everybody knew had a problem with depression. On the other hand, if Australians were losing the match, then they too often started behaving like a pack of wild dogs, in their sledging and intimidating of opponents. This is not surprising, because there is consistent research showing that Australia has one of the highest rates of work place bullying in the world. It is in Australian culture to be verbally cruel and abusive. Similarly, it is just as important for too many Australians to win in sport, so they can gloat and humiliate their opponents. It is the culture that must change. One good thing over recent years is that there is a greater reluctance to accept the bullying culture that prevails in Australia. As more and more educated migrants arrive in this country, they are appalled by the spiteful behaviour in work places and schools and are demanding a change to the culture. Hopefully sport will benefit in the future and we can then be proud of our sports man and women again.
It's clear you have not heard the backlash these idiots received from the cricketing community and the embarrassed Australians in general who are calling for harsher penalties far and above what they received.
Given the overwhelming negative response, the axe you wish to grind here and the red herrings you add eludes me.
You are obviously not aware of violence at soccer games, both in the UK and here in Australia between ethnic groups. Sportsmen and women poor behaviour reflects the deterioration of good manners in modern society. Cricket used to be a 'gentleman's game', but those qualities are now deemed patriarchal and or misogynistic. As for your claim that overseas migrants are appalled by the bullying in Australian work places, I can assure such behaviour is just as prevalent overseas as well. The comment about 'highly educated migrants' came across as snotty and elitist and something Hillary Clinton might use in an election campaign.