Australian Cricket Team - Ball Tampering
Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2018 11:20 am
A very sad day for Australian sport with Bancroft caught ball tampering at the request of the senior playing group, including captain Steven Smith.
I doubt the coaching staff were ignorant to the ploy, however that is what Smith claimed in his admission.
One point I will make - the seriousness of this issue is contextual to the game of cricket. Cricket is steeped in 'the spirit of the game' and strict protocols. This preservation of history and ethics, is intrinsic to the game itself.
Matty Johns joked on his show last night that one time the Knights players got the Knights ball boy to apply Vaseline to the footy whenever the opposing team found touch. This is virtually an identical situation - premeditated, a player has tampered with a ball to gain an on-field advantage... Yet Matty's story was met with rapturous applause and laughter rather than shock and disgust. I only raise this as a point of reference as I found it quite interesting.
By no means do I defend Smith and co. I felt sick in my stomach when I read the news articles...
I doubt the coaching staff were ignorant to the ploy, however that is what Smith claimed in his admission.
One point I will make - the seriousness of this issue is contextual to the game of cricket. Cricket is steeped in 'the spirit of the game' and strict protocols. This preservation of history and ethics, is intrinsic to the game itself.
Matty Johns joked on his show last night that one time the Knights players got the Knights ball boy to apply Vaseline to the footy whenever the opposing team found touch. This is virtually an identical situation - premeditated, a player has tampered with a ball to gain an on-field advantage... Yet Matty's story was met with rapturous applause and laughter rather than shock and disgust. I only raise this as a point of reference as I found it quite interesting.
By no means do I defend Smith and co. I felt sick in my stomach when I read the news articles...