Now this was interesting wasn’t it? In this age of technology and slow motion video capture with definitive clarity availabled coverage, an international team decided to pull off something that would be easy to spot. Everyone knows the camera follows the ball. If the ball’s in your hand, you’re what the camera’s looking at! It’s that simple.

What I intend to say is, not only was it illegal and ‘not in the spirit of the game’; it was a bad idea altogether as it’d be a miracle for the cameras to not notice the fishy business. Of course what’s more outrageous is that they did something that was quite unnecessary and scoff-able, being one of the best in the business and of all the people in the world who play cricket, they(!) decided to resort to this… is unbelievable at more than one level. It was stupid to think they’d get away with this and a massive negligence of the implications of a very possible guilt trip that’d follow. The greatly anticipated IPL is just round the corner and it couldn’t have gotten more dramatic than this!

There is a lot to talk about and the topic is presented in the form of facts here. The presentation is such for a simpler understanding. This post is just a direct report of the facts here onward.

✓ FACTS :-

– To change the condition of the ball with any external article/object with a view to changing the game conditions is considered ball tampering.

– In their 3rd Test, Australia was playing against South Africa in Cape town in March 2018. Playing his 8th test, Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera, rubbing the rough side of the ball with a strip of sandpaper to increase the swing of the ball in flight. This would enable the Aussies to get wickets more easily.

– Investigation showed the involvement of captain Steve Smith and found to be the planner vice-captain David Warner.

– One year ban to captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner has been sanctioned by Cricket Australia (CA) . 9 months to newbie Cameron Bancroft.

– Smith and Bancroft, the ones who actually executed the plan have also been banned from leadership roles for Australia for two years.

– Any future leadership opportunities seem unlikely for them nevertheless, whereas found to be mastermind and encourager of the whole thing, David Warner has been denied any such opportunity ever.

– Smith and Warner, along with Cameron Bancroft, were ordered to return home midway into the series on Tuesday.

– Additionally, Smith and Warner were supposed to captain their respective franchises Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in this edition of the IPL but had stepped down in the wake of the scandal. CA’s sanction was followed by the BCCI banning them from this year’s IPL.

– Smith and Warner are looking at a net loss of Rs. 20 crores(!) or more each due to their bans; including their salaries from CA and their IPL retention contracts(12 and 12.5Cr). They are very likely to lose their sponsors and endorsement deals as well.

P.S. :- In IPL 2018, H. Klaasen(SA) for Smith and K. Perera(SL)/ Alex Hales(ENG) for Warner are the batting replacements in RR and SRH respectively while the newly appointed captains are A. Rahane(IND) – RR and K. Williamson(N Z) – SRH.

– Magellan, terminated its 3-year deal since Aug 2017 deal with CA as personal sponsors saying the scandal was ‘inconsistent’ with the firm’s values.

– Quantas said it will continue thier CA sponsorship even though they are “very disappointed” of the incident.

– CBA (Commonwealth Bank) who terminated Smith’s contract has said it will continue to be proud sponsors of women’s cricket, indigenous cricket, cricketers with disabilities and grassroots cricket across Australia.

A look on the leaders’ careers till now:

Steve Smith :-

– He was named in 2014 the country’s 45th Test captain, replacing the injured Michael Clarke.

– He has played 64 Tests and scored 6199 runs with a 61+ average, hitting 23 centuries and 24 fifties.

– He was named ICC Test player of the year in 2015 and 2017.

– Current world #1 in ICC Test batting rankings.

– Commonwealth Bank and Sanitarium ended their deals with Steve post scandal revelation.

– Smith is sponsored by New Balance who are yet to announce anything officially.

David Warner :-

– He became the first Australian cricketer to be selected in 132 years for the national team without a single first-class cricket appearance when he made his Twenty20 international debut against South Africa in 2009.

– An aggressive left-handed opening batsman, Warner has played 74 Tests and scored 6363 runs at an average of 48.20, hitting 21 centuries and 29 fifties.

– He was suspended by Cricket Australia for his “unprovoked physical attack” on England’s Joe Root in June 2013 and fined: A$11,500 ($8,882).

– Warner was named Australia’s vice-captain across Tests and ODIs in August 2015.

– He is currently ranked #5 in the ICC Test batsmen rankings and #3 in ODIs.

– Electronics MNC: LG has opted not to renew its contract with David Warner.

– Asics has dumped David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.

– Warner also has sponsorship contracts with Gray-Nicolls, Channel Nine, Toyota and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, all likely to be withdrawn.

Darren Lehmann (Head Coach, CA) :-

– He oversaw series victories over South Africa, England, India, New Zealand and West Indies.

– He guided Australia to the 2015 World Cup title on home soil and masterminded two home Ashes series wins. Australia also lost two away Ashes series under his guidance.

– Cleared by Cricket Australia of any involvement in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal in the Cape Town Test.

Cricket Australia Statements :-

– Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft have been charged with a breach of Article 2.3.5 of the CA Code of Conduct, namely that their conduct:

(a) was contrary to the spirit of the game;

(b) was unbecoming of a representative or official;

(c) is or could be harmful to the interests of cricket; and/or

(d) did bring the game of cricket into disrepute.

– The range of sanctions available to Cricket Australia under Article 2.3.5 are extensive. The CA Board determined sanctions that would be appropriate in each player’s case, following their review of the report.

The Board has considered the recommendations and determined that the following sanctions will be offered to each player in accordance with the CA Code of Conduct process.

Steve Smith

Suspension of 12 months from all international and domestic cricket

David Warner

Suspension of 12 months from all international and domestic cricket

Cameron Bancroft

Suspension of 9 months from all international and domestic cricket

– All three players will be permitted to play club cricket and will be encouraged to do so to maintain links with the cricket community.

– In addition, all three players will be required to undertake 100 hours of voluntary service in community cricket.

– Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft will not be considered for team leadership positions until a minimum of 12 months after the conclusion of their respective suspensions from international and domestic cricket. Any consideration of future leadership would be conditional on acceptance by fans and the public, form and authority among the playing group. David Warner will not be considered for team leadership positions in the future.

The Apologies :-

Steve Smith speaking to the media in Sydney:

To all my team-mates, to fans of cricket all over the world, to all Australians who are disappointed and angry, I am sorry. I want to make clear that as captain of the Australian cricket team I take full responsibility. I made a serious error of judgement and I now understand the consequences. It was a failure of my leadership. I will do everything I can to make up for my mistake and the damage it has caused.

If any good can come of this, I hope I can be a force for change. I know I will regret this for the rest of my life. I am absolutely gutted. I hope in time I can earn back respect and forgiveness.

To my knowledge this has never happened before. This is the first time I’ve seen this happen and I can assure you it will never happen again.

David Warner at the Reuters press conference:

I failed in my responsibility as vice-captain of the Australia cricket team.

To the fans and the lovers of the game who have supported and inspired me on my journey as a cricketer, I want to sincerely apologise for betraying your trust in me.

I have let you down badly.

I apologise for my actions and I’m sorry for the impact those actions have had on our country’s reputation.

I can honestly say I have only ever wanted to bring glory to my country through playing cricket.

In striving to do so, I have made a decision which has had the opposite effect and it’s one that I will regret for as long as I live.

Cameron Bancroft speaking to the media in Perth:

I want to say that I’m very sorry. I’m very disappointed and I regret my actions. It is something I will regret for the rest of my life. I lied. I lied about the sandpaper. I panicked in that situation and I’m very sorry. I feel like I’ve let everyone down in Australia.

The thing that breaks my heart the most is that I’ve given up my spot in the team for free. People know I worked so hard to get to this point in my career and to have given up that chance for free is devastating.

It’s going to be a really long road particularly for myself to earn that respect back but for me that’s the most important thing.

Darren Lehmann, head Coach to the media:

They have made a mistake as everyone else, including myself, has made mistakes in the past. They are young men and I hope people will give them a second chance. Their health and well-being is extremely important to us.

The players involved have been handed down very serious sentences and they know they must face the consequences. They’ve made a grave mistake but they’re not bad people. The coaches and support staff had no prior knowledge. The first I saw of it was on that screen.

We need to change how we play and the boundaries within which we play.

The team has been seen quite negatively in recent times and there is a need for us to change some of the philosophies about the way we play.

Previously we’ve butted heads on the line but that’s not the way for us to go about playing cricket going forward.

Authoritative Statements :-

Cricket Australia Chairman, David Peever:

As I indicated yesterday, the CA Board understands and shares the anger of fans and the broader Australian community about these events.

They go to the integrity and reputation of Australian Cricket and Australian sport and the penalties must reflect that.

These are significant penalties for professional players and the Board does not impose them lightly. It is hoped that following a period of suspension, the players will be able to return to playing the game they love and eventually rebuild their careers.

Cricket Australia CEO, James Sutherland:

As the Chairman has noted, the sanctions we have announced are significant for the individuals involved. That is why the process has had to be thorough to ensure that all relevant issues have been examined.

I am satisfied that the sanctions in this case properly reflect a balance between the need to protect the integrity and reputation of the game and the need to maintain the possibility of redemption for the individuals involved, all of whom have learned difficult lessons through these events.

As indicated, Cricket Australia will provide more details of an independent review into the conduct and culture of our Australian men’s team in due course.

IPL chairman, Rajiv Shukla:

They (Cricket Australia) have banned two players and we are also barring these two players from this year’s IPL.

We wanted everything in our own hands. First, we waited for ICC’s decision, after that Cricket Australia and then we decided on the matter.

We have decided to bar them from this season. The replacements will be made available to the two teams. We did not take any decision in haste, it was a well thought out decision.

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