Matt Richens
RNZ, Auckland, March 25, 2018
The Australian Cricket team’s blatant ball-tampering is a case of entitlement and arrogance that beggar belief.
Note: The incident occurred during the Third Test between Australia and South Africa. Australian bowler Cameron Bancroft later admitted that he tampered with the ball and that Captain Steve Smith was aware of the plan earlier.
Instead of using the sports tape to cheat, maybe the Australian Cricket team should have used it to bind themselves to the moral high ground that they (arguably wrongly) thought they held.
In a massive blow for what is left of the Spirit of the Game, Steve Smith’s side have been caught blatantly trying to ball-tamper and cheat in a series with South Africa that is quickly slipping away from them.
Tension-filled Series
It’s been a series filled with tension, conflict and controversy, but this takes things to a whole other level.
Unless you grew up eating Vegemite and know what “girt by sea” means, this Australian side are a hard to like bunch anyway, but this… this just takes the pavlova.
The tiniest speck of credit needs to be given to Smith and the man he and his worryingly named “leadership group” used to do their dirty work – Cameron Bancroft.
They have fronted up and apologised, but that goes nowhere near far enough to fixing what they have done; If you break a mirror, then apologise to it, it’s still broken.
The fact that Bancroft is the youngest and most inexperienced member of the Australian team makes the situation worse and says more about the side’s leaders than Bancroft.
Even if you don’t give two Zing bails about the Spirit of the Game, surely, you are aware enough to know that there are quite a few cameras and they are being operated by staff presumably rooting for the home side.
You would only do this if you did not think you would get caught. Which begs the question, how many times have they done it?
Not the first time
Smith swore black and blue this was the first time but forgive me if his word doesn’t fill me with confidence.
Any semblance of righteousness Smith, David Warner and Coach Darren Lehmann had over the series’ previous controversies has been well and truly blown away.
Quinton de Kock is alleged to have crossed the imaginary line of sledging that for some reason the Australians have self-appointed themselves to be the guardians.
He was punished, as was Warner when they took their spat into the camera-covering bellies of the stadium.
But the Australians continued to moan about the incident and their treatment, especially that of Warner by the South African team and the public since.
South African quick Kagiso Rabada ran into Smith after dismissing him in the second test.
He was charged, but it was later downgraded.
Smith jumped on his often-ridden high horse again to question Rabada’s act and the punishment.
Such a saint.
Sorry not enough
How can he question others’ behaviour from some holier-than-thou position which, even before this grim, grim, situation, he and his side were never entitled to hold, then days later commit what in cricket is blatant cheating?
He and his team are cheats and no amount of “sorry” or “I promise it won’t happen again” fixes that.
Smith’s admission was an attempt to have all the hype about this over and done with, but the hangover of this act will be long-lasting.
Is this really the first time?
Mitchell Starc got the ball swinging all over the place in Durban in the first test; was that legit? Is this something that has been going on for years?
Did it help the Saggy Greens win the recent Ashes series? Was Mitchell Johnson just that good against the 2013/2014 Ashes when he made it swing around corners?
Those performances may well have been legit, but questions will be asked now, shadows will be cast.
Bordering on arrogance
The Australians were always hard to like.
Ever since the late 1990s, they have been hard to beat and set the standard.
Personally, it was jealousy that led me to not liking them – they were very good, and they knew it. They were confident bordering on arrogant, but they could be because they were that good.
Now they are just a bunch of entitled bullies who can give it, not take it and are so arrogant they do not think that they need to play by the same rules as everyone else.
They attack players on the field then complain when those players react then use their youngest player to do their dirty work and cheat.
What great humans they are.
Matt Richens is a former sports journalist. He is now an insurance and investment broker in Christchurch. Indian Newslink has published the above Report under a Special Agreement with www.rnz.co.nz
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Photo Caption:
Bancroft caught on Camera. Picture source: Twitter through CricTraker
