TOPIC:

Beasley Hutton wrote:

BC wrote: It was reported on the news tonight the broadcaster was asked to keep a camera on Bancroft. Not sure by whom but if the saffies had their suspicions then it would make sense.

Pity the South African SuperSports cameramen didnt also keep the cameras focused on convicted ball tamperers Faf & Vern whilst SA are in the field?!

lets get away from looking at OTHER teams and concentrate on OUR own backyard

BC wrote: yep...I saw that too ph...it was said at the time he was getting a sugar hit on the field as it was supposed to be hot at the time and I guess it could be right...but it looks suss to me as well.

BC, most blokes will get a sugar tablet or two that is high in electrolytes, these things work quick, and won't make you flag up in the mouth. Most sports trainers at that level of sport will carry them.

To just eat sugar has 1 effect, it claggs up your mouth, making your saliva nice and sticky.......

Usually where there is smoke there is fire

The poms have claimed that during drinking sessions after games during the ashes, Warner claimed how he used adhesives on his finger taping to help rough up the ball......

Interestingly, Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon are seeking union intervention to try to distance themselves from Smith's comments.

And still no comment from Lehmann or the bowling coach

There will be a few bans of over 1 year for a few of them me thinks.

PH -- one can't blame them for that, his lack of principle could cost them their careers. Clear that they are not all mates now, is'nt it?

It is interesting too, that, before the scandel, I had never heard the term 'leadership group', mentionned in the context of cricket.

I would hope that Smith will get a chance to redeem himself at some stage and play for Australia again after he has served whatever suspension he gets. Everyone deserves a second chance, even those who have committed real crimes and served time. Captaincy is probably not on the radar but I would hope he will play many more important innings for Australia.

I have modified my views slightly over the past 48 hours after witnessing the mass hysteria in the media over this incident. Don't get me wrong this is a very serious issue and CA are under obligation to investigate the circumstances and hand out appropriate sanctions to the individuals who participated in this. However now that the initial shock has subsided, I think we all need to sit back and take a deep breath , put this into perspective and remember
1. It is a game of cricket
2. Nobody died
The way I have heard some people talk about Smith, you would think he had hacked his granny to death with an axe, such is the moral outrage.

People should save their righteous outrage for more important things like the atrocities happening in Syria for example.

This incident provides CA with an opportunity to clean up this teams obviously toxic culture and maybe set it on the path back to where it was when Steve Waugh and Allan Border were in charge. A team that played its cricket hard but also within the rules of acceptable behaviour.

Finally I found it quite ironical that twice convicted ball tamperer Faf Du Plessis provided some commentary in his press conference about Steve Smiths problems,might have thought he would want to pass on that one, given his history.

mikeh: all good points; one is perfectly entitlled to change one's views on it at any stage for whatever reason

Once they punsih Smith we will be in a much better position to deal with du Plusis -- the fact that he has his own past and that, when he was banned he whingged and had the penalty lessened

Same with the Rabada situation -- Crowe's ban should have stood and they cried and sooked again to India and the ICC to have the penalty reduced, as would a child to his mum and dad after they have been told off.

On Smith hs should be:

banned for a year
have his file markked never to be captain

but be allowed to play Shield for NSW

In addition to that, should the Boers get mouthey in the future, there is always the Cronje scandel to mention to put them back on their African bottoms. Cronje was banned fro being a cheat, but we all know that Gibbs was not banned for reasons, again unrelatted to cricket.

mikeh wrote: I would hope that Smith will get a chance to redeem himself at some stage and play for Australia again after he has served whatever suspension he gets. Everyone deserves a second chance, even those who have committed real crimes and served time. Captaincy is probably not on the radar but I would hope he will play many more important innings for Australia.

I have modified my views slightly over the past 48 hours after witnessing the mass hysteria in the media over this incident. Don't get me wrong this is a very serious issue and CA are under obligation to investigate the circumstances and hand out appropriate sanctions to the individuals who participated in this. However now that the initial shock has subsided, I think we all need to sit back and take a deep breath , put this into perspective and remember
1. It is a game of cricket
2. Nobody died
The way I have heard some people talk about Smith, you would think he had hacked his granny to death with an axe, such is the moral outrage.

People should save their righteous outrage for more important things like the atrocities happening in Syria for example.

This incident provides CA with an opportunity to clean up this teams obviously toxic culture and maybe set it on the path back to where it was when Steve Waugh and Allan Border were in charge. A team that played its cricket hard but also within the rules of acceptable behaviour.

Finally I found it quite ironical that twice convicted ball tamperer Faf Du Plessis provided some commentary in his press conference about Steve Smiths problems,might have thought he would want to pass on that one, given his history.

No argument in what you're saying Mike but the sanctions being thrown around on here are of the cricketing variety and nothing else. No-one is suggesting anything other than fines or taking away the ability for these guys to play the game they've infringed upon and tainted the team and country they represent by cheating. It seems like a no brainer to me.

mikeh wrote: I would hope that Smith will get a chance to redeem himself at some stage and play for Australia again after he has served whatever suspension he gets. Everyone deserves a second chance, even those who have committed real crimes and served time. Captaincy is probably not on the radar but I would hope he will play many more important innings for Australia.

I have modified my views slightly over the past 48 hours after witnessing the mass hysteria in the media over this incident. Don't get me wrong this is a very serious issue and CA are under obligation to investigate the circumstances and hand out appropriate sanctions to the individuals who participated in this. However now that the initial shock has subsided, I think we all need to sit back and take a deep breath , put this into perspective and remember
1. It is a game of cricket
2. Nobody died
The way I have heard some people talk about Smith, you would think he had hacked his granny to death with an axe, such is the moral outrage.

People should save their righteous outrage for more important things like the atrocities happening in Syria for example.

This incident provides CA with an opportunity to clean up this teams obviously toxic culture and maybe set it on the path back to where it was when Steve Waugh and Allan Border were in charge. A team that played its cricket hard but also within the rules of acceptable behaviour.

Finally I found it quite ironical that twice convicted ball tamperer Faf Du Plessis provided some commentary in his press conference about Steve Smiths problems,might have thought he would want to pass on that one, given his history.

Spot on Mike.

BC wrote:

mikeh wrote: I would hope that Smith will get a chance to redeem himself at some stage and play for Australia again after he has served whatever suspension he gets. Everyone deserves a second chance, even those who have committed real crimes and served time. Captaincy is probably not on the radar but I would hope he will play many more important innings for Australia.

I have modified my views slightly over the past 48 hours after witnessing the mass hysteria in the media over this incident. Don't get me wrong this is a very serious issue and CA are under obligation to investigate the circumstances and hand out appropriate sanctions to the individuals who participated in this. However now that the initial shock has subsided, I think we all need to sit back and take a deep breath , put this into perspective and remember
1. It is a game of cricket
2. Nobody died
The way I have heard some people talk about Smith, you would think he had hacked his granny to death with an axe, such is the moral outrage.

People should save their righteous outrage for more important things like the atrocities happening in Syria for example.

This incident provides CA with an opportunity to clean up this teams obviously toxic culture and maybe set it on the path back to where it was when Steve Waugh and Allan Border were in charge. A team that played its cricket hard but also within the rules of acceptable behaviour.

Finally I found it quite ironical that twice convicted ball tamperer Faf Du Plessis provided some commentary in his press conference about Steve Smiths problems,might have thought he would want to pass on that one, given his history.

No argument in what you're saying Mike but the sanctions being thrown around on here are of the cricketing variety and nothing else. No-one is suggesting anything other than fines or taking away the ability for these guys to play the game they've infringed upon and tainted the team and country they represent by cheating. It seems like a no brainer to me.

I'm talking more about the hysteria whipped up on radio, TV and print media BC, rather than the Ozfooty posters whose reaction has overall been relatively measured as you say.

Public backlash stems from Smith taking sponsorship $$$ doing national TV adverts with kids - what follows there is the usual hero worship , hence families putting all sorts of posts up on media platforms & parents having to explain unnecessarily to their offspring what has occurred.
None of this carry on will help Test cricket with it's struggle for relevance & place either