Isa Guha backs calls for commonsense over WBBL prankster Emily Smith’s 12-month ban
Commentator Isa Guha has called for a commonsense approach to WBBL prankster Emily Smith’s 12-month ban as prominent players prepare to fight for the penalty to be reduced.
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WBBL prankster Emily Smith has been targeted by Cricket Australia as someone who “wouldn’t necessarily fight back.”
That’s the opinion of former England women’s international and respected Fox Cricket analyst Isa Guha, who believes Smith’s 12-month punishment for breaching the anti-corruption code over an joke on social media does not fit the crime.
Players’ association representatives Shane Watson, Alyssa Healy and Kristen Beams will meet with CA Chairman Earl Eddings next week in a bid to reduce the penalty given to Smith, 24.
Guha stopped short of saying the heavy-handed ban from all forms of the game is sexist, but she said a lack of common sense has been applied by the CA administrators, particularly when cricket has a sorry history of failing to catch actual match-fixing crooks.
“I don’t think it’s a gender thing. I think it’s a case of targeting someone who might not necessarily fight back because of previous situations (gambling bans) that have happened and them potentially wanting to steer clear of being put in the spotlight. And (therefore) accept the punishment,” Guha said.
“I personally didn’t feel the punishment fits the crime … the way I see it is Cricket Australia are using it as a deterrent, and for me there are much larger issues going on in match-fixing and gambling in world cricket.
“ … There are obviously grey areas whenever you set down rules and it’s been flagged a couple of times now that sometimes there just needs to be a bit of common sense, in my opinion, applied to the situation.
“They’ve already stated she wasn’t intentionally trying to fix. There was no malice in her intentions. So for me, that says it all, doesn’t it?
“ … It looks like the ACA (players’ association) are providing some good support, which is important.”
Guha said the positive out of the Smith drama is the fact it has been one of the main talking points of the summer — a level of focus that simply wouldn’t have existed for a women’s cricket story in years gone by.
Over recent years several Australian women’s cricketers have gone down under the anti-corruption code for relatively minor gambling breaches — such as betting on men’s matches.
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Guha doesn’t believe the game has handled these breaches appropriately and hopes the interest generated in the Smith controversy can ensure a more considered approach is taken in the future.
“A few years ago when a few girls got done for gambling, where again it was a tricky circumstance, just the way it was handled and the way the girls were ostracised from the cricket community — they weren’t able to set foot in the nets, turn up at games … I just thought that was horrendous,” Guha said.
“This has become their life. Cricket is now a viable option for women so I was gutted to hear (Smith) was going to be out for a whole year (albeit with nine months of ban suspended).
“ … I also think it’s good that people are talking about it because it’s something that shouldn’t just be put to the side.
“People aren’t just sitting back on issues like this.”
Originally published as Isa Guha backs calls for commonsense over WBBL prankster Emily Smith’s 12-month ban
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