Here's an excellent write up by an Australian on why there is now such a backlash in Australia. http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/22916100/why-australia-outraged-steven-smith-team I knew the Australian team weren't liked outside of their own shores but these two paragraphs are telling, especially the final line. 'Sometimes our sporting stars behave detestably, and are rightly castigated. Our cricketers are no exception. They say they do not cross "the line", while the rest of us wonder where the hell it is. Of course, like any line in the sand, it washes away with the tide, to be redrawn wherever it suits at the time. The Australian public has a line, too. And with their culture of sledging, whingeing, hypocrisy and arrogance, our cricketers have been head-butting it for so long that they have become an insufferable national migraine.' Like any sporting team though, if you're winning all else is generally overlooked.
Wot no Clive James? I have his excellent translation of The Divine Comedy here as I type. A brilliant man in many respects. My brother had a scrapbook of his Observer pieces.I can still recall some of them to this day. Naturally I was most taken with his Wimbledon articles:"Andrea Jaeger with a mouth like a car crash,was so young she had to be positively wheeled on in a pram". "Harry's Wmbldn has this year become Wmbln". "Connors is adopting the early grunt this year and Borg is responding with a Swedish 'hrhmph'. Bless him.
I'm not really surprised that you haven't heard of too many - and I'd expect that not too many Aussies would know the names on the English equivalent. Lists like that can be very subjective anyway, and a cause of many an argument. Having worked in Oz on a few occasions, I do recognise all the names on the Perth News list, but certainly wouldn't agree that they all deserve to be there. Rupert Murdoch for starters, closely followed by John Howard - they deserve to be on The Fifty Worst list in my opinion. I wouldn't argue about many of the others though - I've met number 6 and reckon he deserves to be higher up though. Out of interest, I searched for a British equivalent & found an offering from the BBC from 2002. Some strange ones on that - quite a few names I didn't recognise, Boy George, a Luton FC director, a mass murderer, some who aren't even British, and a warrior queen who may or may not have even existed.
I've not been a fan of VAR but this is a good use of it. I gather the umpires were alerted when the tampering was shown on the big screen? In football it may discourage cheating as well - diving, shirt-pulling etc shown on the big screen? Name & shame I say!
That the folk of Bedfordshire Central are so self absorbed that all they do is text vote for their own ilk. Jack Wiltshire to win Strictly in 2 years time.
Australia had a cricket test captain 25 years before they had a PM. It is a country with a shallow history. The list of great Australians looks weak next to that of great Buckinghamians. Sporting excellence has been a key definer of national identity since the start. And now Boof, Smith & Dogbreath Warner have crapped all over this crucial tradition. The ghastliest sporting outfit on the planet, jointly.
The thing I don't get about this is how stupid have you got to be to attempt this sort of thing with every single move watched by multiple cameras?
It's true and I certainly wouldn't touch that ball after the young bowler had been doing unspeakable things to it!
You say that but I was robbed of having a good old moan about the Aussies, the umpire and the ICC at the pub due to them being spotted by the cameras. Ruined the whole thing for me.
Less than 24 years actually - but I'm not sure what point you're trying to make there. There was no PM at that time because it wasn't a country - there were, however, State Premiers - to all intents and purposes the same thing. You may have to explain that - shallow meaning what? For a country that has only been truly independent since 1986, I think they have quite an impressive history. I'd dispute that, given that the more famous Buckinghamians are tropical rainforest trees endemic to Queensland, trees that didn't even make the Australian list. You're more right than you realise when you say 'since the start'. Australian Aboriginals relied on sporting excellence for their very existence - their traditional sports were designed to master hunting skills. Forty thousand years ago they were playing sports such as Kokan - a type of hockey, Parndo - a game not unlike rugby and Purlja - a ball kicking and throwing game.
David Warner is finally being shown up to bit the little man he is. Gives it out all the time, contributed to Trott's issues, punches opposition players, gives it the big'un on the field abusing other players (but doesn't like it when others remind him of his wife's tryst with Sonny Bill Williams) and it seems he was the main instigator in the cheating, getting a younger inexperienced player to do the work he has been doing over the last year or so with his plastered and bandaged hands. The images of him sat on his own int he hotel sipping champagne sums him up.
So 'Lehmann never knew'. Total lies, and if he actually honestly never knew, then what kind of coach is he not knowing what his team does? Either way he's an idiot.
Of course he did. They got away with it in the Ashes as, after all, the host broadcaster isn't going to show footage like we saw in South Africa. This story that's coming out that Smith didn't even know until afterwards because he didn't ask Warner and Bancroft what they were doing is laughable. 12 month bans for Smith and Warner so they'll be available for the Ashes but considering how everyone (including his teammates), quite rightly, hates the little **** Warner, he may not return. Smith will though. Bancroft will get the sympathy vote and a short ban if that. Lehmann will probably resign after the series has done. Jason Gillespie the likely replacement possibly with Clarke.
It was Bancroft, the opening bat, unless you spotted Starc inserting the ball up his @rse in a separate incident.
I never knew that Buckinghamshire was immortalised in the depths of the rain forest. Seems a long way from Gerrards Cross.
This whole pretty farce descended into politics the moment James ‘an empty cab drew up & James Sutherland got out’ Sutherland grudgingly got involved. When suits like that have to cover their @rses, then anyone could be collateral damage. Excellent point about the host broadcaster.
South Africa players knew something has been going on over the past year, including the ashes, and that is why cameras were trained on the ball conditioner. Sneaky Warner realised this and suddenly the inexperienced Bancroft got the job. Stuart Broad hinted in his comments that it was going on with the sudden early reverse swing. I can't see long bans coming though to be honest, Smith will most likely lose captaincy but he is too good a player to be out for long. Warner can make himself millions playing 20/20, a ban won't have much impact on him either. I can't see him keeping the captaincy job for Sunrisers in IPL though. If Lehman is innocent, it would be a miracle. It's like the poor Bob Woolmer incident all over again with all the mystery and lies.
He has - Tim Paine has been appointed. I didn't expect that to be honest, not after the dramatic collapse when he took over for the final day - I was rather hoping Mitchell Marsh would be given the nod.
The fact they expect the world to believe that only three people were in on it sums up the arrogance that flows through their setup. Now they've lied about the cheating - including those in charge of Cricket Australia. It's a damage limitation exercise from them because they can't bear to lose 5 or 6 players in one go. Sutherland didn't fly out there to get to the bottom of it - he went to work out a way amongst them how they could limit the fallout to the fewest casualties possible. Warner will be the fall guy. They'll throw him under the bus and he won't be seen again on an international cricket pitch; Smith will be back for the Ashes and Bancroft will miss hardly anything significant. Couldn't happen to a nicer bloke than Warner, although now I'm hoping if they pin it all on him that he blows the whistle and takes them all down with what's really been going on - including how many other matches they've been doing it. However, I suspect that he'll be given a secret "sweetener" to keep him quiet and make sure he doesn't dispute the official line. After all - if there's anybody that won't give a damn about finishing their career in disgrace, it'd be Warner whilst he counts his millions in retirement watching his best of Sonny Bill Williams DVDs.
Called it. 12 month bans for Smith and Warner. Longer ban for Bancroft than I was expecting though. They've lost their IPL places too, that'll hurt them in the pocket. I'm sure Warner will pack in international cricket now. Smith will, I hope, get a wonderful reaction at The Ashes next year. 'Send him home in tears'.
I'm especially looking forward to the welcome provided by Edgbaston. Presumably Sutherland hasn't touched 'Boof' as he was his choice. I note that, accordingly to urban Dictionary, to 'boof' is to insert a substance into one's rectum. A pretty obvious clue. What didn't Cricket Australia pick this up in the interview?
Exactly this. Bancroft gets 9 months. Not sure where this line about him being a young, impressionable player comes from. The guy is 25 and knew exactly what he was getting into. His performances in front of the media at the Ashes tell you all you need to know about the guy’s personality. Smith gets a year. About right I’d say. Jim Maxwell (who will have sources within the camp I’m sure) has said that the story he keeps being told is that Warner and Bancroft came up with the idea and Smith just walked past and nonchalantly said ‘he didn’t want to know’. A good captain would have asked what was going on and shut it down there and then. He been incredibly naive at best, and arrogant beyond belief at worst. But make no mistake, he’s such a good player that the door will be open for him to return in a year - he’s already got the sympathy going on the eyes of CA who have mentioned that he’s ‘very upset’. Warner - 12 months officially but I don’t see him playing for Australia again unless he has some personality overhaul and that seems next to impossible. I think his international career is over as well as any opportunity of lucrative contracts from abroad. He’s universally disliked both inside and outside of his own country. He wouldn’t have lasted two minutes in a team with Boon or Hughes, and would have gone home crying against Flintoff or Botham. He’s lucky he has gotten away with it for so long. Darren Lehmann - very, very lucky. The Aussie press are all over this as a cover-up. Even if he didn’t know to begin with, he radio’ed Handscomb and got him to get Bancroft to try and hide the evidence. He’s complicit as coach and should have been asked to resign, with failure to do so leading to being sacked. I think the noise about him will continue as such that he will stand down after the SA series anyway. My own take on it all? Warner should have got a 2 year ban and Bancroft should have got a full year. Lehmann should have been sacked, Handscomb should have got 3-6 months (or two test series). I also think Starc, Lyon and Hazlewood will have known something was happening - and I’d hope the CA investigation continues as any info on their involvement would be difficult to prove with 2-3 days. The whole response so far from CA seems a hash-job at a cover-up and they are scared to drain the swamp of potential cheats as they know their strength in depth to replace those that they ban, is very small indeed. Banning 4/5/6 players and sacking the coach would set them back years. Should have put Ponting or Gillespie in charge with immediate effect for me.
Is this a ban from all forms of cricket? Somerset will need a new overseas player and opener if so...
Does say domestic but not sure if that is just Aussie stuff.. Back just in time for the Ashes if selected again ?
Banned from all top-level cricket in Australia. The wording of the statement says they are extremely harsh penalties which weren’t dealt with easily. I think 99% of the cricketing media and public will think they aren’t strong enough and nowhere near the wide-reaching implications that should be happening. The fact that the door has been left open for all 3 players, with Lehmann continuing and Smith able to be back as captain in a year is frankly beyond belief. Stinks of a terribly weak cover-up whilst CA publicly spread noise of it being strong and harsh. Not sure people will buy it.
In the official statement under 'Summary Of Sanctions' the bans are listed as 'Suspension of 12 months from all international and domestic cricket' - 9 months for Bancroft - so I would presume that is all professional cricket both in Australia and elsewhere. Club cricket can be played 'to keep links with the cricketing community' and 100 hours of community work within said community must be upheld. Warner will not be permitted to lead a team again. Smith & Bancroft can not captain a side for a further 12 months after their bans have ended so have effectively been handed 2 year captaincy bans, 3 months shorter for Bancroft. All three were rebuked for not only cheating but giving misleading statements on the pitch to on-field umpires and in the press conference after the days play where it was filmed. So not only are they cheats but they knowingly lied and mis-lead cricketing officials. Any club touching these players after their bans are served need to have a long hard look at their own moral compass. It's said Warner will look to fight the charges against him in the independent hearings to follow. Tellingly or not, Smith flew home separately from Warner and Bancroft. As for Lehmann, I'd read somewhere he was going to make a statement today. His first public words since the story broke. Whether he knew what was going on only he and the three cheats know for certain but he was part of trying to hide/cover up what had happened by being party to sending the 12th man on to get Bancroft to hide the sandpaper (not sticky tape) from the on field umpires. How this escapes censure is beyond me unless he has been told to resign in a press conference separate from the ones pertaining to the three cheats. Whatever happens right now Messers Smith, Warner, Bancroft & Lehmann will always have the eyes of the cricket world upon them. They will always be referred to as cheats and questions will always be asked as to what hasn't come to light. It will be tough going here on in for all four of them while they stay in the public eye.
Another thing with regards to Lehmann... ...he took the job after South African Mickey Arthur was sacked due to player culture diminishing, standards both on and off the field dropping to unacceptable levels by players, and that the buck stops with the coach. I can't find where I read that yesterday but '...the buck stops with the coach.' is a direct quote. This was said by CEO of Cricket Australia James Sutherland. How is Lehmann not sacked when pre-meditated ball tampering happened while he is coach? Whether he was party to it or not, the buck stops with the coach! Or maybe it only applies if you're South African, not Australian?
On reflection Smith and Bancroft bans are about right but Bancroft should have got a year as well. I hope Somerset cancel his contract as well now. The fact that they lied and said tape in the news conference is enough to put them in the same position as Warner. Smith seemed to think he was invincible being probably the best player int he world. Perhaps Warner could turn to boxing? Sonny Bill hasn't had a fight for a while now, I am sure that would get a good pay per view audience! Fair play for IPL withdrawing contract.
This could actually signal the end of Bancroft's Test career. Matt Renshaw, who will be replacing either him or Warner, was dropped due to poor form - poor form that has been turned around at Sheffield Shield level - this gives him the chance to hopefully cement his spot at Bancroft's expense.
