Baggy Green ball tampering: Bancroft, Smith and the Aussie "Leadership Group"

[Borges]

Just treat opponents with a basic level of decency and respect. It's not that hard.

It is hard; the same fans who were baying for blood now would bay for blood if the Australian team does not win.
It is difficult to get rid of historical baggage: a long series of Australian captains, over decades, have infused into the collective psyche that nice guys just don't win.

 

[CricAddict]

I fear the look on Steve Smith's face in that video. Must be so heart-breaking for him. Hope he comes back strong from this.

 

[Larwood's_boots]

David Warner's tenure as Vice-Captain is making Ben Stokes in the same role look not so bad.

 

[Daemon]

Smith looked terrified of the crowds. Now multiply that by a million and that's the sort of #pressure that Indian players are and were under. Mobbed at every opportunity, especially after failures.

 

[ankitj]

Smith looked terrified of the crowds. Now multiply that by a million and that's the sort of #pressure that Indian players are and were under. Mobbed at every opportunity, especially after failures.

Not a million. Under hundred. Get your math right.

 

[Daemon]

Not a million. Under hundred. Get your math right.

The numbers are adjusted for how vicious Indian mobs are.

 

[cnerd123]

The numbers are adjusted for how vicious Indian mobs are.

Australian fans can't get any nastier than this. Smith cheated and showed them up to be hypocrites and shattered their self belief.

Indian fans get this nasty when you get out for a duck.

#Pressure

 

[Borges]

I would strongly suggest that we don't bring the Indian fans into this discussion.
That is a sure way of making us look second best. Even if he comparison is with the Australian fans. Even at this point in time.

 

[stephen]

I would strongly suggest that we don't bring the Indian fans into this discussion.
That is a sure way of making us look second best. Even if he comparison is with the Australian fans. Even at this point in time.

Brutal. Savage. Rekt.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Must admit, now that it's sandpaper, it increases the likelihood that it was going on in earlier Test matches.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

This incident is bigger than the ashes.

I beseech the mods and admins to create a sub forum for the whole thing.

 

[Zinzan]

Darren Gough makes a good point. How the hell would the bowlers be unaware the ball had been tampered with, even if subtly? It's their tool, they know it intimately, & know exactly how it feels in the hand (No dirty innuendo intended).

Considering that point, it really does make it all the more unbelievable that no one except those 3 knew about it.

 

[cnerd123]

tbf the Kookaburra is a really **** ball, they probably just thought it was regular wear and tear. Or that the balls were becoming worse (which they are)

 

[R!TTER]

Darren Gough makes a good point. How the hell would the bowlers be unaware the ball had been tampered with, even if subtly? It's their tool, they know it intimately, & know exactly how it feels in the hand (No dirty innuendo intended).

Considering that point, it really does make it all the more unbelievable that no one except those 3 knew about it.

This is exactly why only 3 players knew & only they were punished. Though now we're venturing into Watergate territory & so 100% of the truth will never come out, unlike Watergate.

Must admit, now that it's sandpaper, it increases the likelihood that it was going on in earlier Test matches.

The key word was premeditated, somehow reminds me of DRSgate.

 

[Borges]

I'm not so sure about DRSgate anymore. Especially because the drop in the Aussie DRS success rate is not statistically insignificant, even after accounting for a relatively small sample size.

 

[Zinzan]

tbf the Kookaburra is a really **** ball, they probably just thought it was regular wear and tear. Or that the balls were becoming worse (which they are)

Yeah but between deliveries or overs?

I guess if it was a failed attempt by the trio, the bowlers wouldn't have known any better.

 

[Victor Ian]

Australia were a long long time failures in getting reverse swing. How long have they been cheating?.... When did they suddenly master the art of getting the ball to reverse consistently? It's really that simple. I think they obviously got pissed at trying to do it the regular way and never having the same reliability in it that other teams had and begrudgingly, due to the blind eye policy of the rest of the world, joined in.

I'm not so sure the fact that it was sandpaper suddenly proves they have been at this method for a long time. There are sand papers from the shop that are very skin coloured, particularly if they get a tanned bloke to do the job. A longer cheat streak would have likely meant they would have ditched the yellow stuff long ago.

 

[Victor Ian]

Maybe not for a once off incident, but longer term the bowlers would have to know what is going on. Surely they would have some say into the methods employed, if for nothing else than feedback for the 'shiner'. "Err.... that's too much, it cut my hand' 'Yeah, what did you do to it that time - that swung around the stumps and bowled the guy at my end'. They are not just bowling the ball like ignorant oofs.

 

[Son Of Coco]

I'd believe him because I don't buy at all that the bowlers weren't consulted and the coach didn't know. Also other people on the field would have to know to give the ball to Bancroft.

Anyway, the punishments were way too harsh on these three - at the expense of other people who got away scott free.

Let's put this into perspective. It was cheating but they were trying to win. This isn't match fixing. It's only worse than running onto the pitch because it was premeditated and it was a conspiracy from the leadership (i.e. Not one rogue person). But not THAT much worse.

All the keeper/slips need to know is Bancroft is in charge of looking after the ball. They don't necessarily need to know how he's doing that. You'd think someone fielding around him would've seen something though.

 

[stephen]

Must admit, now that it's sandpaper, it increases the likelihood that it was going on in earlier Test matches.

How so?

I agree that it probably was and that Warner was doing it, but the fact that it was sandpaper really doesn't mean anything.