ICC should set an example out of Australia's ball-tampering incident
Getty
A good cricketer shouldn’t necessarily be a true sportsman and cricket has seen innumerable such instances throughout its history. The latest to join the chain was Cameron Bancroft’s use of a yellow tape object to roughen the ball, which was caught on camera as he tried to hide inside his trousers.
"I saw an opportunity to use some tape, get some granules from the rough patches on the wicket and try to change the ball condition. It didn't work; the umpires didn't change the ball. But once I was sighted on the screens and having done that, that resulted in me shoving it down my trousers," confessed Bancroft in a startling press conference.
While the cricket laws permit players to exploit the ball to some extent, there are definitely rules to restrict it. Players are often seen trying to shine the ball by vehemently rubbing against their trousers, but any use of an external object is categorically prohibited. This process has been kept so much under the scanner that even removal of the mud from the ball needs to be done under the strict supervision of the field officials.
The series between South Africa and Australia went off to a flier from the very first Test itself. After a relatively controversy-free and peaceful series against India, the Aussies made sure to rile up the home side right from the beginning when Nathan Lyon threw the ball at AB de Villers’ chest after getting him run-out. That, followed by the staircase brawl between David Warner and Quinton de Kock which added injury to the insulting one-sided 118-run victory of the visitors and South Africans had to exact the revenge in the next game itself.
The pleasant hosts turned violent consequently, and although the rage helped them equal the series with a superb six-wicket win, it came at a cost. There was a growing hatred towards the visitors among the crowd, which wasn’t seen during India’s visit prior to them. The occasional jibes by former cricketers and the ever-present condescending social media further added to Australia’s woes, which reached its peak after Kagiso Rabada saw his two-match suspension being overturned following his court hearing.
The contest in the third Test had blown way out of proportion and it was no more a healthy competition. And Warner’s "
It became all the more blatant when after the incident, Smith and Bancroft spoke only about their confession and their voluntary involvement in it with total disregard towards the South African fans and every cricket fan in the world.
"The leadership group knew about it. We spoke about it at lunch," said Smith. "I'm not proud of what's happened. It's not within the spirit of the game. My integrity, the team's integrity, the leadership group's integrity has come into question and rightfully so. It's certainly not on and it won't happen again, I can promise you that, under my leadership," said Smith.
"Hopefully we'll learn something from it. I'm embarrassed. I know the boys in the sheds are embarrassed as well. I feel for 'Cam' as well. It's not what we want to see in the game. It's not what the Australian cricket team's about. Being the leader of the team I'm incredibly sorry for, I guess, trying to bring the game into disrepute the way that we did today," added the skipper.
Not a single words were spoken for the fans, whow went to watch the game , which reflects a clear lack of conscience on the players’ part despite the seemingly public apology. At a time when countries like Afghanistan, Nepal and more are fighting their heart and soul to make a mark in the world stage, it is the job of the big teams to set the proper example.
Hence, at the face of such disregard by the Australians, it is the job of the International Cricket Council (ICC) to make the punishment exemplary- not only for the emerging sides but for the future generations as well.
