What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Ball Tampering

JJ

Immortal
Messages
31,738
Really?

I know they’re not banned from county cricket but haven’t heard Sheffield shield is an option.
Perhaps not, think I skimmed a story where someone made the argument that would be better - I tend to agree

Seems neither Smith nor Bancroft will appeal - just Davey to decide
 

Mr Spock!

Referee
Messages
22,502
What do broadcasters have to do with ball-tampering?

"There has been an unspoken rule among broadcast directors to not have cameras follow the ball when it is not in play, so a blind eye can be turned to "routine" tampering, without which reverse swing is not possible "

On paper the umpires run the game, but they can only act if they have video evidence, because the ICC's code-of-conduct charges must be able to stick in a court of law. And remember what happened the last time an umpire acted without video evidence, at The Oval in 2006?

Which brings us to commentators. Many of them - not all - still consider themselves part of the teams they once represented. They fight their team's PR battles in the commentary box, and some often go beyond, in trying to make sure "their boys" are on the right side of calls of ball-tampering and player behaviour.

There are exceptions - like the one who asked the broadcast director in a match to keep an eye on the team that commentator once played for because he could sense something dodgy happening. It resulted in the discovery of a new tampering technique and a hefty fine. Needless to say, the "boys" don't like the commentator now, but they haven't yet got to the level of entitlement where it drives them enough to get him fired.

The way teams react makes it clear how commonplace tampering is. The manager of the guilty team says his side is being targeted; he knows other teams are guilty just as often. The other board has no reason to back off, other than, well, its team also does it. And whenever anything happens, the ICC, the commentators, the teams and their boards, all run to the broadcasters.

Since that Oval match, all the ball-tampering incidents that have officially been termed as such have relied on broadcasters. On all occasions, it is away players who have been caught tampering: Faf du Plessis in the UAE and in Australia, Vernon Philander in Sri Lanka, Shahid Afridi in Australia, and Dasun Shanaka in India. Aspersions were cast against Stuart Broad and James Anderson in South Africa, where too now the Cape Town three have been caught.

Neutral broadcasts - during ICC events - have not caught a single player tampering with the ball (though there was a match in the 2013 Champions Trophy where the umpires quietly changed the ball without imposing penalty runs, to avoid the morality furore that accompanies the laying of a ball-tampering charge, and also because the broadcast didn't have footage to back them).


The Cape Town scandal is a perfect example of the role the broadcaster needs to play for a ball-tampering offence to not just come to light but for the charge to stick. Various broadcast directors have told ESPNcricinfo they don't usually follow the ball as closely as was done here. For example, in the normal course, they follow the ball into the keeper's gloves, through to slip, and then cut away to some other action. One of them says it is mostly so they can turn a blind eye to some of the tampering, without which, he believes reverse swing is not possible. He means that the use of lozenge-laden spit, and fake shining - when the thumb hidden between the ball and the thigh goes to work - is actually often overlooked. Call it the thieves' code but this much has been acceptable and well known.

Also, broadcasters don't usually want to play dirty and expose only the visiting side, given both teams might equally be doing things that are considered, among cricketers, as Derek Pringle once wrote, "little more than mischief". No director wants to live with that guilt until he is asked to look for something - in which case, the moral responsibility lies with someone else.

In Cape Town last month, though, the broadcasters were on Australia all along. David Warner's heavily taped hand came under the scanner first. Warner knew it too. When visuals first emerged, the tape on his hand was unmarked. The next day he had his wife's name written on it - a possible wink to the broadcasters that he knew what they were up to. Was the focus on Warner a possible reason for ball-handling duties being transferred to Cameron Bancroft?

The actual footage that led to the nabbing of Bancroft had a shot from the midwicket camera between overs. Not only is it rare for cameras to be following the ball between overs, but also for between-overs footage to be recorded on the EVS platform. EVS is a Belgian company that manufactures live outdoor broadcast digital production systems. For something to be replayed, the EVS system has to record it first. Between-overs footage from midwicket cameras is not often recorded. When Bancroft shoved the sandpaper into his pants, however, he was at short extra cover, which happened to be the perfect position for the Ultra Motion camera - usually placed at reverse slip - to catch him in the act. That said, once the broadcast wants to go after you, there is no fielding position that is safer than others.

Fanie de Villiers, the former South Africa cricketer, now a commentator, has since said to RSN Breakfast, a radio show, that they, the commentators, had asked the cameramen to look for tampering. The version coming from the Australian media is that the South Africa players had made a request through the commentators. Alvin Naicker, head of production at Supersport, was soon quoted by Supersport as saying they spotted something first and then went looking closely, not the other way around.

"If we go looking for it," says another director familiar with at least two ball-tampering incidents in the past, "over a three- or four-Test series, we can catch any team. Everybody does it. Every time there is some reverse, there is something behind it." Unless, of course, it is one of those replaced balls that begin to "go" immediately, like for Dale Steyn in Nagpur in 2010, or for Mitchell Starc in Durban in this series.

South Africa are no saints when it comes to ball-tampering, as their record will show, but they have never been caught at home. The last time they were caught, in Australia, they were incensed. Not because they didn't do it - it was on tape - but presumably because it was such a minor and acceptable act that they must have felt the thieves' code had been broken. Footage that was either not seen during the broadcast or was too insignificant to have been noticed, had conveniently made its way to - surprise, surprise - a news channel. The ICC's hands were now tied. It had to act. It did. Faf du Plessis and South Africa were furious.

Naicker obviously rubbished any suggestions his channel might have acted on instructions or as a response to what happened in Australia. "We don't want it to seem like we are going after the Australian team," he was quoted as saying by Supersport's website. "If that was a South African, we would have broadcast the footage for sure. We have a responsibility to entertain, but just like journalists, we have a moral obligation to provide unbiased editorial."

The question, though, is: would there have been footage against a home player in the first place? Would they have even gone looking? More importantly, should cricket be comfortable with broadcasters wielding so much influence practically unwatched and unchecked?

As cricket continues to embrace technology, host broadcasters have assumed huge significance. ESPNcricinfo knows of a case where a broadcast didn't air footage of, or alert match officials to, a home player tampering with the ball; and it is a fact that they hardly ever go looking for tampering with home players. There have been various other instances where the umpires have seen something but can't find footage to back their claims.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_...eron-bancroft-accept-ball-tampering-sanctions
 
Messages
21,867
Perhaps not, think I skimmed a story where someone made the argument that would be better - I tend to agree

Seems neither Smith nor Bancroft will appeal - just Davey to decide

I’m really surprised they didn’t at least appeal the Sheffield shield ban, wouldn’t have hurt their public image.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JJ

Pommy

Coach
Messages
14,657
Smith has gone up so much in my estimation in the wake of all this.
He was naive to begin with but refused to throw Bancroft under the bus, although in retrospect that would have been the best outcome for everyone.
He has just handled himself very well and in a very professional manner since then.
Looking forward to seeing him play again.
 

Fangs

Coach
Messages
11,165
I don't disagree with that except that I think it is more the date than the venue. I would like to see Cricket Australia sell the boxing day test to the highest bidder and insist only grounds with proper test wickets can bid.



But there has already been 2 tests by then. You think the fans will be cool with the sandpaper 3 playing in Brisbane and Adelaide but then something not feel right about boxing day? By then it would be pretty old news. I just dont get your logic. If it was the first test they would play then yeah sure.

Well no they wouldn't let them play at all this summer. I just reference boxing day because every one is watching in the country. Even casual fans have it.

Mute point anyway now that Bancroft and Smith have accepted their bans. Warner is now forced to follow suit. They won't feature this summer.

Doubt you'll ever see it move from the MCG. Unless the ICC suspend the grounds test status this year...we can dream.
 

AlwaysGreen

Immortal
Messages
47,822
Moises with the stupidest comments so far:

http://www.news.com.au/sport/cricke...t/news-story/76bacfd3b1edc60408c6c58a9a395f87

SportCricketBall tampering saga: Moises Henriques sheds light on ‘selfless’ act

APRIL 12, 201810:21am


Alex Blair

news.com.au

BELIEVE it or not, it’s barely been a fortnight since Australian cricket took its darkest turn in South Africa with a shocking ball tampering controversy tarnishing the reputation of the baggy green.

Steve Smith and David Warner are serving hefty bans alongside Cameron Bancroft after Cricket Australia dropped the sword on their contracts following a tidal wave of public backlash.

The international scandal saw the trio dragged through the mud as calls of a complete overhaul in Australian team culture rained down on administrators. Every man and their dog appeared to have an opinion on what should be done in the wake of the mess.

If the saga proved anything, it’s that the Australian public values pride and honesty from its national side over their success on the field.

While the conspiracy to unfairly thwart the game will stain the careers of the tamper trio for the rest of their playing days, NSW star and former Test all-rounder Moises Henriques claims there was another titbit inside the Cape Town crisis which wasn’t taken into consideration.

Despite making it crystal clear he didn’t condone ball tampering, Henriques suggested Warner and Bancroft’s crimes were less selfish than they had been characterised as.

“I’m not condoning ball tampering at any stage but I’m just saying this to hold a slightly different perspective,” Henriques told veteran sports journalist Gerard Whateley on SEN Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s not okay to cheat or ball tamper, but to realise that David doesn’t ball tamper so he scores more runs, he doesn’t do it for his own personal statistical gain, or whatever it was, and Bancroft is the same.

“It’s the batters that are all involved here and they’re not cheating for themselves and they’re not breaking their rules for their own personal statistical gain so they can average 50 instead of 40 or whatever it might be.”

Henriques suggested that the damning act of tampering with the ball coming from the team’s opening batsmen and not the seamers who would benefit most was grounds to soften the criticism on Warner and Bancroft.

“They’re doing it for the bowlers,” he said. “They did the wrong thing but they’re trying to do it so the team wins. They’re not fixing a match where they’re purposely losing the game for their own financial gain or anything like that.

“I think there is a bit of grey area in terms of the character of these people. They’ve broken the rules, been punished, and so they should be.

“Some of the comments about their character are a little bit out of line.”

Warner already had the tour from hell, before he made it worse.Source:News Corp Australia

Steve Smith’s press conference was to
Smith, Warner and Bancroft won back some favour on their path to redemption last week by announcing they wouldn’t be appealing their bans, hosing down predictions of a lengthy court saga with Cricket Australia stealing headlines throughout the coming months.

Aussie all-rounder Glenn Maxwell says while the Australian public will never forget the shattering revelation in Cape Town, the trio will be able to restore themselves as mainstays on the international roster after their time is served.

“I think the time that will probably be able to heal some of the mistakes that have been made will be probably be the biggest key,” Maxwell said on SEN.

“The fact that we’ve got IPL now, a 6-7 week break to Cricket Australia’s next commitment I think will actually help the whole group going forward, just allow the group to breathe for a second.

“Hopefully that will bring us a fresh start, and obviously the new coach will have a bit of time to settle into the job.

“Once that England ODI series gets underway we’re able to start with a fresh, happy outlook on the game, and probably not have those scars of South Africa still sitting real close to the front of our minds.”
 

JJ

Immortal
Messages
31,738
Why the f**k does Henriques keep weighing in??? Does he want some media career?

He started off geniused, and he's getting worse each time he tweets

Cheating to win is somehow more noble than bowling a no-ball to get money? Especially if you're a bat helping out the bowlers?

So if Cummins sneaks a bigger bat into Davey's kit he's being a team player?

Just what Cricket Australia is looking for
 

T-Boon

Coach
Messages
15,143
Meanwhile, Michael Clarke is still sitting by his phone waiting for Cricket Australia to call begging for him to come save the day. He is thinking: "should I take out a full page ad in the Telegraph".
 

Twizzle

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
150,734
didn't Freddie say something similar recently, something like no big deal, been happening for 20 years in England ?
 

TheParraboy

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
66,136
Lot of players have come out and said it happens a lot, over the last 20-30 years

Absolutely no place for it but the main cricket authorities have always slapped it on the wrist (when caught) and the cricket world were basically mild or immune to it (didn’t care)until Australia got caught , oh boy and did the righteous I’m a perfect citizen tree huggers all come out of the woodwork, have a dummy spat and basically treated the 3 Boys as though they were convicted pedofiles.

The majority of Tom Dick and Harry’s wanted to keep kicking and spitting on them, pathetic the way it went on.

Friggin Turnbull, fox sports and every media outlet wanting to earn brownie points by bagging the players mercifully can go get f..cked

Watch these same wankers hail Smith as some sort of god when he comes back and destroys bowling attacks
 

JJ

Immortal
Messages
31,738
But you fellas don't get it - it's noble and selfless cheating... Davey and his sandpaper should be immortalised on some Channel 9 memorabilia
 

Latest posts

Top