Australia tour of South Africa 2018

[Llewelynf]

Smith, Lehmann and Handscomb at the very least need a ban. Wouldn't be surprised if the whole team was in on it.

In the presser Smith said it was a plan hatched up by the leadership group but he won't mention names... Warner perhaps. Always in the eye of the tornado that one.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

I just saw the PC and Smith didn't seem to have a grain of remorse!

 

[LiveLoveABD]

Looks like Cameron Bancroft has certainly parked the bus!

 

[Bigby Wolf]

 

[abhi_jacko]

This just proves that the brain fade episode was anything but a brain fade. It was planned and calculated. There was no clear cut evidence there, so they got away with the brain fade excuse.

Here the evidence is clear ... Cannot deny it. And surely the investigation panel cannot accept a statement like 'management decision, but won't take names'. Surely they will get to the bottom of this and hand out a fair verdict. One match ban sounds very lenient for what was a calculated cheating episode.

 

[abhi_jacko]

And the look on Lehmans face when the camera catches him on the walkie talkie just says it all. Poor bancroft made to do their dirty work

 

[Satan666]

Sad day for Australian cricket. My sympathy to the Aussie fans on this board.

Never like Lehman as a player and seems his nastiness has infiltrated and possibly the destroyed permanently the integrity of the Aussie side, not that they had much going for them in that department to start with.

Can go as far back in the WC when Adam Gilchrist used a soft ball in his glove. Glad theyre finally caught! Despicable and disgusting stuff!

 

[asprin]

Shocking. Absolutely shocking. What a shame!

I hate to say it but looks like Australia has become a team which cannot stand being bullied. Rabada was getting on their nerves and the desperation to win coupled with Rababa's ban being overturned have led them to do such an atrocious act.

Crossed a line certainly.

 

[rishabh9627]

Totally disgraceful from Australia let alone Smith and the whole leadership group behind that plot.
I wonder what the Aussie fans and the former Australian players would be thinking of their team.
Certainly can't defend them now.
If the coach is in on this then he should be sacked by the board.

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

Smith for this only reason of being a complete bully and an arse with an attitude worse than Kohli will never be as good as what Kohli, Root and Williamson are. Kohli might be an arse but he does not cheat and will not be a complete bully as Smith.

 

[Satan666]

 

[hammadahmed88]

I am having a difficult time accepting the rhetoric of Australians "owning up" to the incident. Actually no. They were caught red-handed, had no believable excuse (brain fades etc.), and subsequently try to gain some pathetic claim to a moral ground by doing the only thing left to do. It's a shame younger players don't model themselves after someone like Gilchrist. Terrible scenes.

 

[Jalen]

Smith for this only reason of being a complete bully and an arse with an attitude worse than Kohli will never be as good as what Kohli, Root and Williamson are. Kohli might be an arse but he does not cheat and will not be a complete bully as Smith.

Smith's attitude might not be that good but his intent is. He always wants his side to do well and wants to lead from the front. root and Williamson are soft and in my opinion aren't better captains than Kohli and smith. Smith and Kohli are both aggressive and always want to lead from the front . You have to be able to get into the batsmans head to make them play a false strokes. What Bancroft and smith did was wrong but I will always back my team

 

[SaiSrini]

Read about Steven Smith owning up to the incident of ball tampering
http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/22897995/desperation-drove-australia-cheat-steven-smith

This is not the first time Australians have been involved in cheating (crossing the lines of the law). The recent DRS 'brain fade' incident involving Smith comes to memory. That time, he coined that word of 'brain fade' and said that it won't happen again. And now again, he is saying that this won't happen again. How many times is he going to say things and keep making mistakes? Already the image of Australia as irksome bullies is getting hotter (this image of them has been around since ages, but for some reason, it never became hot enough for countries around the world to take collective exception to it).

Wonder if some new laws/system need to be written (not sure if something like that already exists?) around continual digression of laws and conduct by countries, which should amount to some kind of suspension or ban of that country from the sport. P.s: Before someone picks on me here about India and their behavior, I am also including India in this and would be fine if they are suspended or banned for repeated digression of laws or conduct.

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

I will always back my team

Thats what all fans do nothing wrong in that. But being a bully and being aggressive has lot of difference. A captain accepting he knew about the plan of tampering which is against the laws is equal to match fixing. You are doing something you are not supposed to do. It is one thing to be following and backing your team but fans must draw a line when its wrong.

I was happy with the face that my fellow Pakistani friends did not support one bit and backed their team when the fixing saga came out, they were angry as much as the entire world because they knew part of cricket died when fixing happened. This is same thing. Do not know why the offense punishment is so low, it has to be more and need to be treated seriously.

Now again Bancroft is the scapegoat so he will be banned for a match but Smith and other bullies will roam free.