The latest ball tampering issue has got the entire cricketing world talking, and the consequences of the fault have indeed shocked the world. Cricket Australia has been at the center of the discussion, and their decision to ban the players has sent a strong message to the world.
Former Australian captain Steven Smith came out in the press for the time after his confession about the incidence and was completely shattered while delivering his speech. Smith was extremely sorry for what had done and took the entire responsibility on his shoulders.
Steven Smith was earlier banned for a match. He was also fined 100 percent of his match fees by the International Cricket Council. However, a strong outrage in the Australian public forced the national cricket board to take such major steps.
Both David Warner and Steven Smith have accepted that they were the masterminds behind the entire incidence.
However, former Test umpire Darryl Harper has suggested that this isn’t the first time that these two cricketers were involved in ball tampering. Harper was the match referee in a domestic match between New South Wales and Victoria in 2016. He claims that the duo was involved in ball tampering in that match.
In an E-mail to Simon Taufel, who is Cricket Australia’s Match Referee and Umpire Selection Manager said that Steven Smith whined about the SCG pitch and the ball tampering had not stopped until he spoke to the NSW coach Trent Johnston.
Harper said:
“To be honest, I was not surprised by Steve’s assessment. It was in keeping with his demeanour throughout the week. He gave the impression that he wasn’t happy to be playing the Sheffield Shield match and failed early in both innings with expansive strokes.”
“When David Warner repeatedly bounced his returns in to [NSW wicketkeeper] Peter Nevill on the first day, the umpires appealed to Smith to support their calls for fair play. They weren’t encouraged by his response. I assisted the umpires on the second morning by suggesting to Trent Johnston that CA didn’t need an issue with the national captain being involved in a ball-tampering incident.”
“This was at the same time that the South African captain [Faf du Plessis] was under scrutiny and before he had been charged. As it transpired, there we no further errant throws for the final three days of the game from either team. Steve’s participation in the post-match meeting was quite limp, and not as I would expect from our national captain.”
Here’s the news feed:
‘I Don’t See Steven Smith Captaining Australia Again’ – Ian Chappell
Smith apologies for ‘failure of his leadership.’