No evidence of ball tampering in the Ashes series, reveals Stuart Broad
Stuart Broad has stated that from what he saw there was no evidence that the Australian team tampered the ball during the Ashes series. He has also admitted that he was surprised that the Aussies resorted to ball tampering since they were generating good reverse swing in the past series.
The ball tampering controversy has left the cricketing world in a state of surprise and shock as Australian opener Cameron Bancroft admitted that he used a tape to pick up granules from the pitch and rub them on the ball in an effort to alter the ball's condition.Â
Australia skipper Steve Smith also confessed that the âleadership groupâ knew about this and in fact, they had discussed it during the lunch break on day 3 of the ongoing third Test. Meanwhile, Smith and vice-captain David Warner then stood down from their roles for the ongoing Test match and the ICC also handed a one-match ban to the Australian skipper. England pacer Stuart Broad, who is playing a Test match in New Zealand, refused to believe that Australia would have done this (changing the condition of the ball) on multiple occasions.Â
âI donât know. Steve said itâs the first time theyâve tried it. Thereâs no evidence that they were doing this in the Ashes series, from what Iâve seen.â Stuart Broad was quoted saying by the Indian Express.Â
Australia currently boasted of one of the best bowling attacks in the world as the pace-bowling trio, comprising Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins, rattled the England batsman in the Ashes series. They found reverse-swing on most occasions and even in the first Test against South Africa in Durban, which they won, the Aussie bowlers generated prodigious reverse-swing which troubled the South African batsmen. Hence, Broad was surprised that the Australians resorted to ball tampering to generate reverse-swing in the Newlands Test.Â
âI saw Steve Smith in his press conference said it was the first time theyâve tried it, which to me, seems really surprising why theyâd change a method thatâs been working. Look at the Ashes series that weâve just played. You look through virtually all of those Test matches and they reverse swung the ball in sometimes conditions that you wouldnât expect the ball to reverse, so I donât understand why theyâve changed their method for this one game,â Broad revealed.Â
The ICC has handed a one-Test ban to Steve Smith. He was also fined 100 percent of his match fee. On the other hand, Cameron Bancroft escaped the ban but he was fined 75% of his match fee and was handed three demerit points.Â