Earthquake of arrogance drives cricket’s cheating tsunami

Steven Smith.

Australian cricket officials finally came to their senses. Such is the disgrace and humiliation dumped on the nation by Steve Smith’s actions that it was always manifestly wrong that he be allowed to remain as skipper. Same for his vice-captain, David Warner. Even for the dregs of this third Test in Cape Town.

Australia could not send out a captain who had admitted to conspiring with teammates to cheat. It owed that much to the players who have represented their country with respect and within the rules.

So seven hours after CA chief executive James Sutherland flunked his early news conference, strong action followed just before the start of the Test’s fourth day.

Yes, logistics would be a problem. Little time to get replacement players settled before the next Test starts on Friday. But Sutherland had to find someone within the team to skipper the side. It would have been intolerable that Smith would be given that privilege again. So Tim Paine got the job.

This cheating has hurt Australian cricket from helmet to boot. Sutherland’s media conference yesterday should be his last. He stood before the media just after midday yesterday but was a leader paralysed. His response to what is one of Australian sport’s worst humiliations was limp. As the day progressed, CA saw that it could not fob off the cheating incident without some immediate and emphatic disciplinary ruling. This nation does not tolerate cheats.

In charge of the game for nearly two decades, Sutherland has done little to change the rotten culture of the sport at its most senior level.

For a man in the most powerful position in the sport, Sutherland’s news conference yesterday was inept. He admitted he had not spoken to the nation’s captain, Steve Smith. Dear God. Cannot wait until CA discovers mobile phones.

He said he wanted to collect evidence after Smith had already admitted to the ball-tampering publicly. Smith admitted, too, that Australia’s senior players had collectively agreed to cheat in a wretched attempt to turn the Test their way. He had watched the illegal activity by Cameron Bancroft on the skipper’s orders. A piece of yellow sticky tape, armed with detritus of a roughed up pitch, was slipped from pocket to underpants. Ball-tampering of the most heroic kind. It was unclear whether the ICC had charged the Australian with ball-tampering or self-mutilation. And still Sutherland wanted more evidence. We rename him Inspector Clouseau. It was obvious more action was required or CA would lose all authority.

Two CA managers are on their way to fully understand what happened and who was involved. That’s sensible. Smith would not name the senior players privy to the plan. We need to know coach Darren Lehmann’s role — if any. It is hard to think the coach did not have a working knowledge of it. But that is work for CA’s integrity manager, Iain Roy, and high-performance manager Pat Howard.

Still, much of their work is already done. Smith and Bancroft hid little at their press conference.

It was damningly obvious that Smith had little understanding of the depth of his betrayal. The wrath of sport lovers that was coming to the boil around him. He saw no reason why he would not retain the captaincy. That points specifically to the culture within Australian cricket and fostered by the elite players. It neither respects nor honours the game that has made them rich and famous.

We wrote on Saturday that Smith was a poor leader. Proof positive came quickly. Cricket seems to breed nasty competitors who relish besmirching their opposition. Since this culture has been all but nurtured by sycophantic administrations, no wonder the players had no idea where their mythical “line” rests from day to day, over to over.

Did no one in the dressing room say: “Hey, skip this is bloody madness.” Did no one beg that Smith reconsider deliberately breaking such a critical and sensitive rule of cricket? Even those Australian cricketers not involved directly in the match will be stained by their teammates.

This earthquake of arrogance — that Australian cricketers are above the rules and principles of cricket — peaked when the players went on strike to grab more money from the game. For what purpose? Purchase endless rolls of yellow tape?

We now find we have cricketers, pockets stuffed with money, tape and pitch litter, determined to stretch the game’s rules and etiquette until there was nothing left to do but cheat. There must be a clean-out of the game for this has been coming for a long time. The fact Clouseau, chief executive of CA for nearly two decades, and the board took two attempts to arrive at the most obvious outcome suggests a fatal indecisiveness is a virus that has hold of the sport’s hierarchy.

That the Test side have orchestrated such a serious breach of the rules suggests the game’s boffins are not respected at all by the players. And that they are powerless to control their leading players. The Baggy Green Charlatans.