Australia can now put ball-tampering scandal behind them, reckons Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath feels that the successful Ashes series offers his countrymen a chance to forget about the mistakes the players made last year in the match in Cape Town. He stated that the players have managed to regain the faith of the public and winning an Ashes remains the highest honour.
With a huge 186-run win against England in the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Australia made history as they managed to retain the Ashes by winning their first series on English soil in 18 years. The last time they had managed a win was in 2001 under Steve Waugh. Former pace bowler Glenn McGrath, who incidentally is also the highest ever wicket-taker in the bilateral rivalry, is of the opinion that the victory allows them to dig the demons of the sandpaper gate scandal that took place in 2018.
“Retaining the Ashes in England for the first time since 2001 is hugely important after the past 18 months for Australian cricket. They can now put what happened in South Africa with the ball-tampering scandal well and truly behind them,” McGrath wrote in his column for BBC.
David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft admitted to ball-tampering in a Test against South Africa and the former two were subsequently handed a year’s ban, while Bancroft was suspended for nine months. While the entire trio has returned to regular cricket, it was Smith’s redemption that caught all headlines as he has scored at an average of 134 in his first series since being allowed to play again. His drive to lead the Kangaroos to victory has reignited faith in people in their intentions.
“...they have been clawing their way back. They have been getting the support of the Australian public again as well as regaining that self-belief and starting to play well as a unit once more. To come to England and retain the Ashes with a Test to spare is the final part of that process. Australia can now just focus on the future. The past is the past,” added McGrath.
He claimed that an Ashes victory remains the highest point in an Australian player’s career and involves relentless planning and preparation the year-round.
"Winning here is still the ultimate for any Australia cricketer because England are always tough to beat in their own conditions. This is what Australia focused on this summer and achieving it will be very special for this team,” he concluded on the matter.
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