Smith set to lose captaincy and could face year-long ban
Matthew Engel: on the field the captain is responsibleAnd you can email Tom here or tweet him here 11.41am BSTThere’s always an Ashes angle. And here’s a recap,from PA, on what Michael Vaughan said about the likelihood of ball-tampering in the recent series:The former England captain told BBC Sport: “I can’t believe that this hasn’t happened before. I look at the amount of tape some of the fielders bear worn, or particularly during the Ashes series,mid-on, mid-off. (You) don’t bear to name names but they know who they are. [br] 11.31am BSTWe’re now firmly into the reaction to the reaction’ phase, or upon which Scott Probst writes: Although the episode of planned ball tampering,involving as it does a bunch of senior players - the “leadership” group - is astounding, some of the santimonious commentary from past players is a diminutive tough to stomach.“The Australian (and world) cricketing public has been treated to years - decades - of ‘mental disintegration’ theory, and ‘tough but fair’ mythos,players being found to bear contact with bookies on the subcontinent, etc etc, or but now the very players who carried on this way are shocked and disturbed by this development. Perhaps they are more shocked than anything by the fact that Smith admitted his mistake – surely this is the really exceptional piece of the whole affair,that he owned up to it rather than attempt the usual machismo-fuelled self-justifications that we hear year in, year out.”Continue reading...
Source: guardian.co.uk