OPINION
Follow UsThe win at all cost policy has brought Australia a lot of success over the years, but it also led to their downfall on a fateful day in March 2018. That players from this proud cricketing nation cheated to get a little ahead in a match severely dented their image – so much so – that the Prime Minister of Australia expressed his utter disbelief over what transpired in South Africa. Last time something this serious happened was during the Bodyline Series, back in 1932-33, when the relationship between Britain and Australia soured.
Ball-tampering is a serious offence in cricket, but in the past, many cricketers have got off with far lesser penalties than the trio of Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. They did their time and now have been integrated back into the side.
Like every cricketer, Bancroft too wanted to be accepted by his peers. He felt if he listened to a member of the ‘leadership group’ he would be liked by his teammates and would feel as though he had made a contribution to the team’s pursuit of victory. Bancroft had played just seven Tests till the Cape Town match and had made a moderate start to his career, but he seemed to be an ever-improving cricketer, touted for big things. Unfortunately, he didn’t think that was enough.
A cricketer not being accepted into the Australian setup is nothing new. Years ago, Brett Geeves had penned down his brief experience with the Australian side during their tour of South Africa in 2009. Not only did no member of CA come to pick him up at the airport, but he also received cold reception from his teammates with one of them even asking what he was doing there. Added to this, his captain Michael Clarke refused to recognize him in public when they were just few yards away in a public place in Cape Town.
Geeves’ stay was cut short due to an injury and just like his presence was merely acknowledged by the Australian team, nobody really batted an eyelid when he left.
Simon Katich grabbing Michael Clarke by the throat in 2009 was yet another low point.
Despite all this and probably other incidents that were not made public, Australia continued to dominate world cricket, across formats. Their success was so overwhelming, it perhaps ensured a few never came to light.
“What had become important to me was being liked, being well valued, feeling really important to my teammates. Like I was contributing something by using sandpaper on a cricket ball,” Bancroft had told The Guardian.
Although the sandpaper incident happened three years ago, its impact is felt even today. More so, after Bancroft recently revealed that the bowlers too had prior knowledge of a foreign substance being used, despite of bowlers' denial. Issuing statements as collectives, former cricketers including Clarke and Adam Gilchrist have jumped into the fray, agreeing with Bancroft, when he said, it was ‘self-explanatory’ that the bowlers knew.
“Yeah, look, all I wanted to do was to be responsible and accountable for my own actions and part. Yeah, obviously what I did benefits bowlers and the awareness around that, probably, is self-explanatory," Bancroft said to the Guardian.
David Warner’s manager James Erskine slammed the investigation by CA, calling it a joke.
"The report that was done, they didn't interview all the players. The whole thing was so badly handled, it was a joke. But eventually the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, will come out and I know the whole truth," Erskine said.
All these allegations – whether true or not – has certainly not done much good to Australia’s image that salvaged some pride after the appointment of Justin Langer as their coach.
CA has maintained that they would not reveal the details of the investigation conducted after the ball-tampering episode. With so much speculation floating around, with its name being tarnished, it is perhaps time to make at least those findings public so that this can be put to rest instead of waiting for Warner’s book to release!
For now, it’s doing neither them nor their cricketers any good.
