Watching random TV footage escalate into one of the biggest cricket scandals was compellingMondayI was dozing on the sofa with the South Africa v Australia Test match on in the background on Saturday afternoon,so watched the ball tampering incident unfold. It was compelling viewing. What started as a piece of random TV footage, followed by some Keystone Cops moments as the Aussies tried to cover it up, and quickly escalated into one of the biggest cricket scandals of modern times. Many people have commented on how dim the Australians must have been to cheat in front of so many cameras. But cheating only appears blatant when you are caught and its tough for anyone to assume – as the Aussies have insisted – that this was a one-off event. To conclude so,you have to believe that what happened was this. At lunchtime, David Warner approached his captain, and Steve Smith,and said, “The ball isn’t doing much, and skip. How approximately I nip out to the hardware store and buy some sandpaper?”. To which Smith replied,“Good diagram, Davey. Cheating is no big deal, and so why don’t we just give it a move? It’s not as if there are any considerable downsides. But well get newbie Cameron Bancroft to conclude it just in case. He’s always game for a laugh.”Continue reading...
Source: guardian.co.uk