Australia ball-tampering scandal

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Re: Australia ball-tampering scandal

Postby budgetmeansbudget » Sat Mar 31, 2018 4:05 pm

Bullies always seem to cry when they're on the wrong end of things!
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Re: Australia ball-tampering scandal

Postby alfie » Sun Apr 01, 2018 11:01 am

I haven't posted on here for a bit and it's been largely because this whole business has left my head in a bit of a whirl. And a sour taste in the mouth...but I feel I should at least comment on it.

First off it saddens me immensely that the game I have loved for so long should be dragged through the mud like this. This particular series had already been sullied by unseemly behavior from both sides ...and the Sandpaper Plot simply topped it all with a new level of base villainy.
Second I regret that the good name of Australian Cricket has been tarnished in this manner. I've lived here a long time ; and though I've remained an England supporter I have at least held an admiration for the cricketers of this country. Not that I've been naive enough to believe all of them behave in saintly manner : have myself experienced plenty of "gamesmanship" at all levels of club cricket in Melbourne . But there is no doubt that the Test team has taken attitudes and illegal actions way over the mythical "line" in recent times. A reputation has been lost ; and it will take time to restore.
Third and more controversially I do have some sympathy for the perpetrators of this sporting - or anti sporting - crime. I am not personally acquainted with any of them , and don't profess to know what they are like in their personal lives ; but just because they've behaved disgracefully in this matter I am not about to declare that they are all "bad people". A man may sin without being a irredeemable villain. They've disgraced game and country and earned punishment ...but they have paid a very heavy price.

This might end up a long post so I'm splitting it...will come back later and try to explain how and why I think an Australian captain came to destroy his own career with this half-arsed scheme ...
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Re: Australia ball-tampering scandal

Postby alfie » Sun Apr 01, 2018 11:48 am

Confession : I've never really liked Steve Smith. Admired his batting , certainly . And his cussedness...grudgingly , when he tormented England. But his manner , his speeches - even his facial expressions annoyed me ; and those theatrical flourishes as he left some innocuous deliveries gave me the pip...
Nevertheless I'm prepared to accept the word of those who do know him that he's basically a decent fellow. One who has made a horrible mistake in embracing the Dark Side and thereby lost his reputation for ever.

Plenty of people more sickened by his (crocodile?) tears and mentions of his family than convinced of his remorse , even after his press conference. I don't applaud it either ; but I do think he's genuinely shocked by the enormity of what he's done - or allowed to be done - as well as self-servingly concerned for his personal losses.

So how did he come to this ? My theory is that it was a variant of the old "boiling frog" business...

Australian cricket has - as The Professor points out elsewhere - undergone quite a change over recent years. Always the Aussies played hard (think Warwick Armstrong) but predominantly with honour : Miller , Lindwall , Benaud...gentlemen to the core. The moderns have been a bit different : mostly fair I think ; but always ready to take advantage if they could of stirring through the press , sledging on the field...Steve Waugh and his mental disintegration indeed. I could do without it ; but it was bearable...especially when they didn't win :)

But I think it went up a notch after the humiliations suffered in recent years in India and England ...the debacle around the Mickey Arthur coaching regime etc...Darren Lehmann was brought in to both bring back an old fashioned larrikin approach and also a harder edge...and Smith became his disciple. Warner was already one ready to push the envelope. The drs business in Bangalore was not really too awful in itself ; but it pointed to a growing attitude that all is fair in love and war : rather forgetting that cricket is neither.

In SA there was a lot of pressure on : the series was being played in acrimonious style and the Aussies felt aggrieved over a couple of things . Losing a match ; and the idea that they simply had to do something - anything ! - to get back into the contest took hold...
When you are thinking that you have to win , literally at all costs , it isn't perhaps that hard to take a step you might never have considered in the cold light of day. The press conference when Bancroft was caught showed very clearly that Smith really didn't think his men had done anything very wrong.. He actually thought of it all on a par with - say , not walking for an edge ...rather than claiming a catch that you knew very well had bounced.

The slippery slope. He knows now. I leave penalties to others but he certainly must never lead his team again. That and the loss of his reputation - never mind the IPL millions - has visited karma on him in the most appropriate manner.

But yes , I am a bit sorry for him.
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Re: Australia ball-tampering scandal

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Sun Apr 01, 2018 11:55 am

alfie wrote: but it pointed to a growing attitude that all is fair in love and war : rather forgetting that cricket is neither.



Nicely put.
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Re: Australia ball-tampering scandal

Postby Durhamfootman » Sun Apr 01, 2018 9:35 pm

alfie wrote:Steve Waugh and his mental disintegration indeed. I could do without it ; but it was bearable...especially when they didn't win :)


this chap seems to point the finger fairly and squarely at Steve Waugh

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/ ... teve-waugh

some very interesting youtube footage once you click on the links, but I guess a search of incidents involving other teams would probably throw up a whole lot of suspect actions as well.

Ottis Gibson asked the question of what is the line, after the first test acrimony, and not only what is the line, but where is it and who put it there? I guess the line is placed at that part of cricket where the authorities can no longer just turn a bit of a blind eye to it (or just brush it under the carpet with a bit of a fine, perhaps a tiny bit of a ban and the odd demerit point) even if they'd prefer to, which may explain why SWB have had the dogs set upon them
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Re: Australia ball-tampering scandal

Postby The Professor » Mon Apr 02, 2018 1:35 pm

Seems to be some substance to the theory that Warner has been doing this for a bit - potentially with Bancroft as his understudy.

In the Second Test CSA asked CA's 'Head of Integrity' to look at Warner and his bandages (plus anything else that he may have had in his hand) whilst handling/polishing the ball.

Seems curious that the match after they asked them to look into this the polishing duties went to Bancroft.
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Re: Australia ball-tampering scandal

Postby Durhamfootman » Mon Apr 02, 2018 3:47 pm

wasn't there some suspicion about Warner's bandages in the ashes too?
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Re: Australia ball-tampering scandal

Postby from_the_stands » Mon Apr 02, 2018 7:58 pm

There's talk that the suspensions may be eased so to allow tainted trio to play domestic cricket during the next Australian summer.
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Re: Australia ball-tampering scandal

Postby pompeymeowth » Tue Apr 03, 2018 11:53 am

from_the_stands wrote:There's talk that the suspensions may be eased so to allow tainted trio to play domestic cricket during the next Australian summer.


Maybe Smith and Bancroft. They fronted up and took their lumps almost straight away.

Warner is a disgrace of a man and should serve his time. With all the past rubbish he's brought upon cricket I'd ban him forever.
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Re: Australia ball-tampering scandal

Postby bigfluffylemon » Wed Apr 04, 2018 11:54 pm

Smith and Bancroft have said they won't contest their bans. Warner can lodge an appeal by today at the latest if he wants, but I can't imagine he will. Even if he were somehow to be successful (and the others not joining him wouldn't help), he's damaged goods. What team would want him?

Going to be interesting if they come back. Bancroft at least may be able to come back for the BBL and the latter half of the Shield season. Smith and Warner will get no cricket at all until the next Australian summer, then will have to survive on a diet of grade cricket, if they get anything at all. They will have no first class or test games between now and the Ashes warmups, and no international or domestic (first class/list A) cricket between now and the World Cup. Even if they did walk back into the side, that lack of practice will surely mean Australia's chances in both competitions suffer a massive hit.

Obviously any side featuring Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins can never be written off, in tests or ODIs, but Australia's top order looks to be in trouble. Not as much as England's, mind...
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Re: Australia ball-tampering scandal

Postby sussexpob » Thu Apr 05, 2018 8:05 am

Warner confirms he will not contest his ban
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Re: Australia ball-tampering scandal

Postby sussexpob » Fri Dec 21, 2018 1:07 pm

Seems like the Aussie media and Smiddy are trying a page out of the Trump manual of "truths" in order to rehabilitate his reputation. In March, the only fractions of details we got were that the "Leadership group" had been involved in the decision, and that Bancroft seems to have been forced a little into it by those higher up in influence. Smith specifically told us that they had discussed cheating, and that a clear decision to cheat had been made between the senior group (although he never told us who that group was). And he said that happened off the field.

Now, he is claiming he simply walked past the incident happening, and that he just didnt stop it. So which one is the lie?I do like the fact he said "its been discussed in detail alrady", when asked for detail. No it hasnt. Who is the leadership group you referred to? What exactly happened? No details.

Judging on the media, they are happy to buy the lie. Which is sad. I doubt many fans in the know will do it. Pretty audacious attempt to downplay his responsibilities.

And either or.... you are still a cheat, whether by omission, or specific action.
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Re: Australia ball-tampering scandal

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Thu Dec 27, 2018 8:43 am

Sounds like Warner is copping the blame and the media can't help but fan the flames.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/ ... rmer-great

What will Wee Davey say when he talks?

This looks a bit like phony image laundering-

A CA investigation found that Warner was the architect of the illegal ploy, and that nobody outside Warner, Smith and Bancroft knew of the one-off plan to alter the ball with sandpaper.
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Re: Australia ball-tampering scandal

Postby GarlicJam » Thu Dec 27, 2018 11:45 am

A CA investigation
into how the damage can be minimised

found that Warner was the architect of the illegal ploy
I can believe that

and that nobody outside Warner, Smith and Bancroft knew
I doubt that

the one-off plan to alter the ball
I strongly doubt that

the one-off plan to alter the ball with sandpaper.
the key word here may be 'sandpaper'. Was it something else before, when Warner was using something embedded in his multiple bandaids?
Maybe
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Re: Australia ball-tampering scandal

Postby Durhamfootman » Thu Dec 27, 2018 4:18 pm

I've often wondered why Wee Davey always needed so many plasters on his fingers
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