Baggy green's value needs to be restored

Over history, we have let our batting and bowling do the talking with some "mental disintegration” thrown in. But never cheating like this.

QT cricket columnist Wayne Jones. Picture: Contributed

MUCH has been said about the ball tampering saga in South Africa.

It was a disappointing day when Australian cricketers would stoop so low to cheat to win.

Over history, we have let our batting and bowling do the talking with some "mental disintegration" thrown in. But never cheating like this.

It has devalued the baggy green cap and its aura in the public perception no matter which way you perceive the punishment.

Australians have been quick, and rightly so, to judge other countries' misdemeanours and cheating. However, this time it was an Australian team and many have felt betrayed and dismayed by these events. Especially with Australia's two most senior players getting the newest player to do the dirty deed.

Cricket Australia handed down its verdicts with one year bans for Steve Smith and Dave Warner, and nine months for Cameron Bancroft. Warner is never to be in a leadership role in any national, state and franchise cricket team in Australia. Bancroft can never lead Australia in a Test match.

Smith has a three-year ban on captaining Australia.

I feel this is about the right punishment for the crime.

Many on social media were in the two extremes - no suspension and lifetime bans. Neither can be justified in this particular case.

A lifetime ban achieves nothing and probably is detrimental to Cricket Australia's process and rules in the long run.

Smith's lawyer could easily state to the International Court of Arbitration that the punishment handed out to the other ball tamperers and a life-time ban is way over the top. Smith would be reinstated immediately.

Where would it leave Cricket Australia's stance then?

Add in restriction of trade, which was used by league players in the early days of NRL salary cap, and again every court will side with Smith.

Conversely, Smith needs a punishment for not effectively quashing Dave Warner's hairbrain idea immediately and/or for ordering Bancroft to carry out the deed in a premeditated manner.

A year may be excessive in some sense if Smith was a regular player but he is the Australian captain and the mythical second highest post in Australia behind the Prime Minister.

Ball tampering may occur in other countries, but unlike these countries, cricket in Australia is in a cut-throat market and must be seen to deal with mishaps as they occur in decisive manner or else one or of the national football codes could unseed cricket as our top national sport.

The baggy green is put up on the highest pedestal with almost everyone in our land knowing who the Australian cricket captain is. Some punishment had to be meted out to guy who held this office.

Sponsors are more fickle these days especially, and rarely to they want to be associated with bad press.

Every dollar is important to Cricket Australia and not acting is detrimental to cricket. No punishment would mean disaster to any potential cricket broadcasting deal, which is to begin in the winter. Current sponsors are leaving in droves as Smith and Warner have found individually this week.

Many kids have copied Smith's crab-like stance and mannerisms. He was adored by many in Australia's cricket circles for his ability and grit in face on many international attacks and score endless runs.

This sentence will be an example for all that follow in baggy green. It will be a reminder to anyone, no matter good they are, that no one is above the "law".

Smith, as the leader of this team, must take the responsibilities of its action too. Surprisingly, coach Darren Lehmann kept his post but he too must accept that something is wrong inside the team.

Like Michael Clarke before Lehmann, there is something inherently awry behind the scenes that have been bubbling along for the length of Smith's tenure.

The sacking of Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw and Peter Hanscombe during the summer went against the grain of Australia's ethos of never changing a winning team.

Smith's "train smarter" glib comment about Maxwell, and our subsequent drubbing by England in the one day matches 4-1, certainly do not paint a rosy picture or a team in harmony that only two years swept all before them in the World Cup.

There has been a lot of hubris setting lately too. Warner's constant incidents, Nathan Lyon dropping the ball on de Villiers in the 1st Test and Smith's "I am still best person for the job" in the day 3 press conference show how out of touch they are from what the general public expect.

Brothers, Qld worthy winners

ON a more positive note, Brothers took out the local first division title from Laidley.

It's Brothers' 20th title in 117 years in the top grade.

Many Brothers players are now of a certain age and it is a credit to each of them to stay together and fight for this title.

Every member played their part throughout the season but it was Chris Smith's amazing match figures 12/119 that was the telling point.

The former Ipswich Logan opening bowler had two finals to remember and ended up with best ever finals figures in the Association's 125 year history.

Mark Sharrad probably took the most important wicket of his career when he removed Laidley batsman Mick Sippel when set on 51. His wicket opened up the lower order to a later evening burst from Smith and spinner David Richardson which the Bluedogs were unable to withstand.

Laidley will be disappointed in losing both grand finals this year. They are a champion team and will bounce back. They were the most consistent team across all formats and happened to run into a Brothers outfit that probably had more to play for.

The Bluedogs will still be a force to reckon with into the near future after winning the 2nd and 3rd Grades. They have many young tyros who are ready for a shot at the top grade.

Meanwhile, Queensland won the Sheffield Shield for the seventh time in 23 seasons.

Ipswich was represented by Sam Truloff and Lachlan Pfeffer throughout the season. Although they didn't score the runs they wanted they still contributed to the success.

I was lucky enough to watch Queensland play Tasmania in a one day trial match at Buderim in September and it was highly unlikely that these two teams would play in the final.

Tasmania slipped to 4/40 before making 210.

Tim Paine made a second ball duck. Queensland were 5/13 off 10 overs but Pfeffer (48) and Jack Wildermuth (70) saved the day to get the Bulls home.

Fast forward six months and no one would believe that Paine would be in the Australian team, let alone captain. It has been another remarkable season.

I hope you all enjoy the football codes and hockey before returning to the cricket field in September.

Originally published as Baggy green's value needs to be restored