Australian cricket fans left with sickening disappointment after ball tampering
CRICKET fans dream of witnessing sporting history. But not like this. Neil Wilson went to South Africa to see a skilful performance and left with sickening disappointment.
Cricket
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cricket. Followed categories will be added to My News.
TO be an Australian cricket follower at Cape Town combines deep emotions of embarrassment, bewilderment and sickening disappointment.
This is the kind of national sporting history that no one would really wish to witness, let alone before a South African crowd to whom you can offer no explanation or justification.
We came hoping to see an Australian team which would put in a skilful and courageous effort to equal the series.
CRICKET AUSTRALIA RESPOND TO SOUTH AFRICA BALL TAMPERING CRISIS
STEVE SMITH ADMITS CHEATING, SAYS SENIOR PLAYERS HATCHED BALL TAMPERING PLOT
It’s true that some small sections of the Cape Town crowd were belligerent, loud and provocative towards the Australian team but the vast majority of people here have been friendly and welcoming to Aussie supporters.
To the cricket lovers we have sat and spoken with over the past three days, I can offer no explanation, only embarrassment.
But clearly the team itself and those closest to it must have felt besieged to the extent where the leadership group lost all perspective.
Perspective not only on their own playing situation in this series, but on the wider, bigger obligation that Australia’s Test Team carries to the country and our self-respect as tough, skilful but above all, honest sporting nation.
As an Australian sitting in the stands in Cape Town, you can’t help but feeling an instinctive stirring of pride and emotion to loudly applaud and urge our team on with every wicket and every run.
But, really, what can we say to those South Africans around us when the Australian team next walks on to the field?
What happened was indefensible. Few in the ground, including me, immediately understood what was unfolding when the umpires spoke to Cameron Bancroft and then Steve Smith intervened.
It was only via social media in the next hour it started to dawn upon us and then, even as we left the ground, was still not early apparent even as we are Warnie’s twitter feed that Bancroft could not have done this without the leadership knowing.
Surely not. But Warnie was spot on.
We’ve read about body line. We remember monkeygate, Warnie’s diet pills and also underarm at our own MCG when I was a young bloke.
But this is worse than any, even underarm — Greg Chappell, the skipper, made an instantaneous, but tragically and terribly wrong decision.
It went against the spirit of the game, but it was technically within the rules.
In Cape Town, Steve Smith has admitted to what was plain cheating.
The Poms are already into us and the Indians will be loving this chance to take us down.
Australia expects better out of its national sporting team. It’s about how we like to see ourselves in the wider world.
John Howard was right when he said Prime Minister was the second most important job in Australia. It’s gut-wrenching to realise that Steve Smith has abrogated his right to do that job for us.
NEIL WILSON IS A FORMER HERALD SUN REPORTER AND CRICKET TRAGIC
Originally published as Australian cricket fans left with sickening disappointment after ball tampering
Crash: Why selectors distanced themselves from Smith’s decision
It’s no surprise Australia put a bomb under the plan to make Steve Smith an opener but it was a surprise who lit the fuse, writes ROBERT CRADDOCK.
Teen phenom in Test frame as selectors backflip on Smith plan
The picture for Australia’s first Test team is becoming clearer – with chief selector George Bailey revealing plenty after the announcement of the Australia A squad.