budgetmeansbudget wrote:But don't you think after the ball tampering incident it might have been an idea if the Aussies scored a few positive points by letting it go. A real opportunity to gain some good press in a situation where the wicket wasn't going to effect the outcome.
I didn't see the incident, and am just going off what I have read here.
For years the Aus mantra was "play hard but fair" (while maybe not always being fair). This is something that falls squarely in that area.
Australian players (at any level of cricket) would be severely castigated by management and team-mates alike if they HADN'T effected the dismissal. Why give the opposition a break, when their problem was caused entirely by their own stupidity? Would we expect Pakistan to not appeal for the runout of Labuschagne? It was his stupidity/laziness that caused his dismissal as well.
The fact that the wicket would not have any effect on the outcome of the game is immaterial. This points to a main reason why Aus (over the years) have won games from difficult situations - we are taught to never give up, to keep the fight up to the last ball, last minute, etc. As jingoistic as that sounds, it is true, and it has resulted in some unexpected wins over the years.