International Cricket Thread

[Satchmo Distel]

Smith and Warner stood down by CA for the next Test.

[Satchmo Distel]

Correction: stood down with immediate effect. Don't think that has ever happened before.

[Janik]

Smith giving this task to Bancroft? He'll never live that down.

It's pretty normal for one player on the fielding side to be tasked with setting up the condition of the ball as required. A dedicated ball shiner. Given that bowlers are either busy bowling so should be concentrating on that, or not always on the field as they grab some R&R after a spell (sorry, take a 'physically necessary' brief break), that player will generally be a batsman. As it's a boring task, it's often delegated.
If your side feels getting the ball into the right state needs some extra 'help' the person you are going to turn to is the bloke already doing this job.

I feel Smith and Australia are being unequally treated here, due to the context of this being caught in an already fractious and controversial series. But that shouldn't matter, the offence is the same whether it happens in a India-Sri Lanka series played in front of sparse crowds with little interest or a SA-Australia one where the cricket boards are writing letters if complaint to each other.

[Janik]

Correction: stood down with immediate effect. Don't think that has ever happened before.

Blimey, they are changing their skipper mid-match over this??

[Ray de Galles]

There are precedents for punishments for ball tampering. Those are nothing like the levels that you guys seem to want. Having gone rather more gently in the past is going to make it pretty tricky for the ICC to do otherwise now.

My guess
Bancroft - 75% of match fee and 3 demerit points
Smith - 100% of match fee and 3 demerit points

I imagine tougher sanctions may come from Cricket Australia, if only as a face-saving measure.

[G-Man]

Statistics show that the ball did swing significantly more after it was tampered with. The umpires are not looking good after that either; the ball should have been changed.

This episode is new ground in ball tampering. This wasn't Atherton playing with sand or du Plessis using part of his clothing to gain an advantage (the mint saliva charge was absurd); this was a premeditated act of cheating by a group of players, and a (pathetic) attempt at covering up by lying to the umpires. The punishment cannot be based on precedent, because no precedent exists.

Bancroft was still less than totally honest in the press conference. He intimated that he stood near the leadership group, overheard the talk, drew his conclusions and then acted on his own initiative. Seriously? Does he really want to be the Matt Bevilacqua of cricket to Steve Smith's Richie Aprile?

[ad hoc]

It's pretty normal for one player on the fielding side to be tasked with setting up the condition of the ball as required. A dedicated ball shiner. Given that bowlers are either busy bowling so should be concentrating on that, or not always on the field as they grab some R&R after a spell (sorry, take a 'physically necessary' brief break), that player will generally be a batsman. As it's a boring task, it's often delegated.
If your side feels getting the ball into the right state needs some extra 'help' the person you are going to turn to is the bloke already doing this job.

I feel Smith and Australia are being unequally treated here, due to the context of this being caught in an already fractious and controversial series. But that shouldn't matter, the offence is the same whether it happens in a India-Sri Lanka series played in front of sparse crowds with little interest or a SA-Australia one where the cricket boards are writing letters if complaint to each other.

Most of the anger/calls for strong action appear to be coming from Australia, so while you might be right about this being overblown compared to other incidents (though I think there are one or two significant differences with previous incidents) it's really being driven from Australia

[tee rex]

this was a premeditated act of cheating by a group of players, and a (pathetic) attempt at covering up by lying to the umpires. The punishment cannot be based on precedent, because no precedent exists.

Oh come on. Most ball-tampering is premeditated and done with the captain's knowledge, if not instigation.

It's funny because it's Australia and the nauseating "role model" crap is how they and their cheerleaders (Channel 9 et al) portray themselves, but it's not uniquely dastardly.

[Janik]

This episode is new ground in ball tampering. This wasn't Atherton playing with sand or du Plessis using part of his clothing to gain an advantage (the mint saliva charge was absurd); this was a premeditated act of cheating by a group of players, and a (pathetic) attempt at covering up by lying to the umpires. The punishment cannot be based on precedent, because no precedent exists.

You really think that Atherton, du Plessis and others were tampering with the ball as individuals? Without the input of their bowlers? That would be extremely strange behaviour. So strange as to be frankly unbelievable.
I can just about buy the idea that a bowler might take it on himself to tamper as an individual, though his fellow bowlers might not be happy if he does and it works contrary to what they were trying. But when it's a fielder or the captain doing it it's always going to be as the result of a collective decision by the attack and the 'leadership team'. And as such, there is plenty of precedent.

[Sits]

It's funny because it's Australia and the nauseating "role model" crap is how they and their cheerleaders (Channel 9 et al) portray themselves, but it's not uniquely dastardly.

This. This whole "fair dinkum" bullshit really makes my blood boil. Sanctimony from Auatralia is hypocrisy of the highest order. Role models? Scumbags a fair number of them.

[G-Man]

Janik & Tee Rex: What I meant by this case being unique is that the collusion has actually been revealed (plus the lying to the umpires, which is a new thing). Of course Australia aren't the first side to do ball-tampering, as has been mentioned. But they are the first side of whom there is evidence of having collectively colluded to cheat. So there is no precedent for the ICC to base their sanction on. My argument was about the legal dimensions, not the moral.

[Satchmo Distel]

There is a subset of Aussie that thought everyone cheated whereas their players were too manly to cheat. There is a wounded machismo in the Aus reaction.

[Satchmo Distel]

Lying to umpires - happens every time a player doesn't walk.

[E10 Rifle]

In the meantime, England's women have just completed a record T20 run-chase against India

[diggedy derek]

I've really missed what's going on in the England Women's tour. But I did notice no Sarah Taylor –*a sad, but understandable, situation.

[diggedy derek]

The ICC have banned Smith from playing in the fourth Test. That doesn't seem disproportionate to me – it's premeditated and about as bang to rights as you could ever get.

That said, I think I'm more bothered in general by the behaviour of fans and players on this tour.

[E10 Rifle]

Yeah. In some respects there's now a bit of a "Pakistan at Lord's in 2010" vibe about the remainder of this Test, though this is nowhere near as serious as that was.

This has been a good series, mind.

[G-Man]

Lying to umpires - happens every time a player doesn't walk.

The umpire doesn't ask the player whether he nicked the ball. Of course, technically Bancroft didn't lie when he was asked what was in his pocket. The umpires should have asked: "What's in your underpants, mate?"

[Etienne]

Afghanistan are cruising to victory over West Indies in the final. What a remarkable turnaround.

[Antepli Ejderha]

The ICC have banned Smith from playing in the fourth Test. That doesn't seem disproportionate to me – it's premeditated and about as bang to rights as you could ever get.

That said, I think I'm more bothered in general by the behaviour of fans and players on this tour.

Is this in the first instance or the extent of the ban?

I wonder how much of this ball tampering has been down to the niggle between the two sides in this series.

[ursus arctos]

It is the ICC decision

All reports indicate that Cricket Australia will come down harder, in part because the PM and other politicians are reacting in horror.

[E10 Rifle]

Australia now suddenly four down. Entire cricketing world getting out popcorn

[ad hoc]

Bancroft run out by Warner. Just to make him even happier with the "leadership team"

[ad hoc]

Australia all out for 95. The match is no longer in the way of the inquest

Edit : not sure where that last wicket came from. Actually 107 all out

[G-Man]

The wicket at 95 was appealed. That enabled Morkel to get his fifer and MOTM.

That was one hell of a bowling and fielding performance by SA after tea. Maharaj was superb, and Morkel was lethal. The run-outs aside, most of the wickets that fell were due to the bowling, rather than stupid shot selection.