OPINION: It's just not cricket, but have we gone too far?

AUSTRALIANS have gone a little bit batty, even more than a little bit precious.

Cameron Bancroft (left) and Steve Smith (right) in happier times. Picture: DARREN ENGLAND

AUSTRALIANS have gone a little bit batty, even more than a little bit precious.

The ridiculously over-blown backlash at the weekend for a moment of on-field stupidity by Australian cricketers has left me bewildered.

As a cricket tragic since the age of six, I live and breathe the sport and am a firm believer in the hard fact that cheating has no place in sport, full stop.

However, calling for the heads of those involved, sackings, life bans etc is, in my view and in this case, unwarranted and unprecedented.

These days, the public seems to get so offended, so easily.

The minute someone makes a mistake, they're calling for the chopping block and the pressure of millions of voices nearly always beats down on those making the decisions. In this case I hope to heck it doesn't happen.

Nobody knee capped another player, there was not millions of dollars changing hands to fix matches.

There was a terribly ill-concealed attempt to scuff a small piece of red leather. Yes, it's arguably the worst decision since Harold Holt said to his wife, "Right, I think I might go for a swim," but it's not the end of the world.

What's even more bewildering is the fact a group of senior players thought this wasn't a bloody ridiculous idea and that Cameron Bancroft forgot about the 58 cameras watching his every move.

Make no mistake, teams right across the world understand how important the condition of a cricket ball is and since day dot have been finding ways to keep it shiny or, depending on the situation, scuff it up.

In 2016, South Africa's current captain Faf du Plessis was caught doing something similar here in Australia.

He was using mints along with his own saliva to cover the ball in a nice sheen, fit to swing a mile.

They dubbed it "Lollygate", he was fined 100% of his match fee and nothing more was said.

Current South African bowler Vernon Philander has also been fined for ball tampering, in fact there are too many players to list.

It's not right, but it's commonplace - my issue is with the public backlash that is completely out of control.

There is no precedent at all for sacking anyone.

Steven Smith and David Warner have already been embarrassed with Cricket Australia standing them down for the remainder of the match.

Along with fines and the fact Smith might face further sanctions, in my view, that's enough.

I hope CA has the wherewithal to ignore the media firestorm and make a rational decision.

This tour has been a nightmare for CA and the Australians, marred by bad behaviour and the ever-present sledging cloud that hangs over the team wherever they go.

For those who cry foul about the Australian cricket team being role models, you are right, but we're talking about a group of overpaid and generally egotistical and spoilt young men.

They haven't been good role models for years and I have stopped expecting them to be, because they continue to act like school boys.

Unfortunately, that's elite sport. Think little Lleyton Hewitt, John McEnroe, any number of NRL or AFL footballers, Tiger Woods, Formula One drivers, the list goes on.

Stupid, yes. Careless, yes. Against the spirit of the game, absolutely. But career destroying? No way.

It may well be career defining, however,and that's something those players will have to live with.