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

[Red]

Noooooo. **** doesn't get to resign.........I want his fat arse sacked

I'm no fan of Smith by any means, but this is a fairly minor misdemeanor and the punishment is beyond ridiculous. The problem isn't ball tampering, the problem is the ****wit culture of this cricket side and Lehmann is front row centre the problem with it. Steve Smith may have been the captain but Fat Arse is the General and this has all happened on his watch.........this team had serious behavioural issues before Smith was skip.

James Sutherland and his team must really be ****ing stupid.

This is so over the top. Lehmann is a really decent guy, and after the Arthur bullshit bought a lot of levity and balance back into a side that was imploding internally.

Just because a couple of dudes took sandpaper onto the field doesnt make Lehmann woeful and the culture of the dressing room any more questionable than it was imo

 

[Arachnodouche]

Besides, unlike the match fixers from the 90s, these guys cheated to win a game for their country, a fine distinction no one seems to have thought about. I don't have a problem with the ban per se, but I can see the case for lighter punishment too, considering the cheating fell within the parameters of play and didn't involve unsavory outside elements.

 

[Son Of Coco]

This may be showing my ignorance of what goes on in a change room, but if sandpaper was used, what were they doing with it to suddenly come up with the plan during the lunch break? Did they have it in their bags for sanding down bats, that seems a little old school? Or did they send somebody off to go buy some, or scrounge around for some?

Bunnings

 

[Zinzan]

Twitter has convinced me of something this morning

It's clearly impossible to want punishment for something and yet feel sorry for the person receiving that punishment as a human being, without being a hypocrite yourself.

You should all hang your heads in shame.

I blame you tbh.

 

[Shri]

Players from around the world are being very sympathetic after the Smith presser.

 

[Shri]

https://twitter.com/CricketAus/status/979355790367629312

James Sutherland: I'm not resigning and what's happened over the last few days has only strengthened my resolve.

 

[Zinzan]

https://twitter.com/CricketAus/status/979355790367629312

James Sutherland: I'm not resigning and what's happened over the last few days has only strengthened my resolve.

In others words, we'll no doubt hear about his resignation in the next few days.

 

[AndyZaltzHair]

In others words, we'll no doubt hear about his resignation in the next few days.

yeah thats what came to my mind first

 

[Burgey]

Does he have the full support of the Board? That usually means a sacking is a few days away.

 

[Shri]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricke...-smith-and-warner-before-20180329-p4z6xh.html

Just make it legal and be done with it ffs. Feels like it is an open secret and that all teams do it anyways.

 

[Zinzan]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricke...-smith-and-warner-before-20180329-p4z6xh.html

Just make it legal and be done with it ffs. Feels like it is an open secret and that all teams do it anyways.

Yeah I must say, as much as I felt for Smith during his statement, I didn't believe him for a second when he was asked hand on heart if this is the first time tampering had happened under his watch. Does anyone actually believe him on that point?

 

[flibbertyjibber]

yeah i must say, as much as i felt for smith during his statement, i didn't believe him for a second when he was asked hand on heart if this is the first time tampering had happened under his watch. Does anyone actually believe him on that point?

nope

 

[GotSpin]

Wasn't sure if I should post anything since people who do not post here regularly are frowned upon.

But I had to share that:

I am German - living in SA for decades and learnt to love cricket to such an extent that I spent weekends umpiring lower league cricket. (just as where I am coming from).

I found 2, yes 2! articles about this sandpapergate in a leading German Magazine (Der Spiegel). They didn't say anything we already know but ..... 99 percent of Germans have not even an idea or do know that cricket exists as a sport. The other 1% are expats from the subcontinent and some Brits and Aussies.
This shows you that either the summer hole hits early or how an event can get blown totally out of proportion. It's like Australia press reporting that some German Ice hokey player tried to fiddle with a puck in a game. Just totally over the top.

My 2 cents:

Now I know about the holier than holy approach from Aussies teams at times and this will hit harder if it happens in their cricket than, let's say, India or Pakistan. But the punishment is irrational and bears no relation to the offence. I say that as a huge Saffer supporter. And then the 100 Social hours - I mean who would think this will be looked upon by anybody with an average brain capacity as something that is formulated by an adult in full supply of sanity. It would be hilarious in any other circumstance.

I really hope Smith and Bancroft penalties get reduced. I also hope that somebody is looking after these guys. Smith is cricket - he doesn't know much else and people do funny stuff when the rug is completely pulled out under their feet. CA has thrown them to the wolves big time.

Warner - well, his problem is that he needs good and straight and consequent leadership to keep his personalty traits in check. Unfortunately that was nowhere to be found in the setup he was operating in.

end of ramble

Yeah the story was in the news in Argentina as well. Completely ridiculous

 

[Gob]

Players from around the world are being very sympathetic after the Smith presser.

Most of them are decent humans unlike Stace

 

[TheJediBrah]

Yeah I must say, as much as I felt for Smith during his statement, I didn't believe him for a second when he was asked hand on heart if this is the first time tampering had happened under his watch. Does anyone actually believe him on that point?

Almost certainly it was the first time to that extent, given how obvious it was and how terrible they were at it. But definitely possible they've been involved in "standard" and less serious tampering practices like other sides (eg. bouncing the ball in, sweetened saliva etc.).

 

[Zinzan]

Almost certainly it was the first time to that extent,

"Almost certainly"? What is this based on? Simply his word? It was probably the first time Bancroft attempted it, I'd believe that.

Not that I'm claiming to know either way, but it does seem more likely it's the first time they got 'caught', as opposed to the first time they attempted something more sinister the those lower level practices.

Perhaps I'm just cynical.

 

[TheJediBrah]

"Almost certainly"? What is this based on? Simply his word? It was probably the first time Bancroft attempted it, I'd believe that.

Not that I'm claiming to know either way, but it does seem more likely it's the first time they got 'caught', as opposed to the first time they attempted something more sinister the those lower level practices.

Perhaps I'm just cynical.

Simply dictated by common sense. Not just the amateurish way it was carried out, but the likely influence of the recent results and issues on and off the field (crowds, sledging, Rabada decision). It just makes sense that they were mentally ****ed this Test and took it a step further.

It would very surprising if they'd done something similar to sandpapering the ball previously IMO. I doubt it'd be that hard to find footage or evidence of it looking back on recent matches too, if someone really wanted to.

 

[vic_orthdox]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricke...-smith-and-warner-before-20180329-p4z6xh.html

Just make it legal and be done with it ffs. Feels like it is an open secret and that all teams do it anyways.

This article from Webster is a load of ****. The wicket was complained about from the beginning, there were issues with the SCG and NSW and every team would wind up doing the same thing in the same circumstances. And a match official criticising a player for how he was dismissed? Unbelievable.

 

[Borges]

The really cynical view would be that they must have done it oodles of times in the past.
Doing it for the first time, it would be inconceivable that they wouldn't have been terribly scared of getting caught, that they wouldn't gone to great lengths to minimise the possibility of getting caught.
Crass carelessness about doing something underhand creeps in only after the perpetrators have done it a number of times in the past without getting caught, and starts believing that they would never get caught.

 

[Zinzan]

Simply dictated by common sense. Not just the amateurish way it was carried out, but the likely influence of the recent results and issues on and off the field (crowds, sledging, Rabada decision). It just makes sense that they were mentally ****ed this Test and took it a step further.

It would very surprising if they'd done something similar to sandpapering the ball previously IMO. I doubt it'd be that hard to find footage or evidence of it looking back on recent matches too, if someone really wanted to.

Yeah I guess that's fair considering the fumbling method attempted. A pro cheat team would probably invest in R & D (through another company), & design camouflaged surfaces embedded in clothing or even on the players skin that would be virtually undetectable.