"If this wasn’t India, there would be a different reaction" - Ed Cowan on CA not addressing alleged ball-tampering well in IND A vs AUS A 2024 match

Former Test cricketer Ed Cowan believes Cricket Australia would have addressed the recent alleged ball-tampering situation differently had an Indian team not been involved. The ex-opener feels the board would have been wary of an Indian player or the BCCI threatening to pull out of the upcoming Test series.

The incident occurred on Day 4 of the first unofficial four-day Test between India A and Australia A as the visiting players argued with the umpires over changing the ball. Umpire Shawn Craig was overheard via stump mic telling the Indian players that their scratching of the ball had caused it to be changed. After Ishan Kishan called it a 'stupid decision', the umpire threatened him to book him for dissent.

Cricket Australia's statement later in the day announcing no further action has not gone down well with Cowan. The 42-year-old reckons umpire Craig deserved some backing for trying to rectify what he saw went wrong on the field. Speaking on ABC Grandstand Cricket Podcast, Cowan opined:

"Shawn Craig, it feels has been hung out to dry here badly. Has had no support from his employer. He has seen something on the field and in his best judgement, tried to rectify that. Then Cricket Australia have worked out that they’ve got an issue. I’m in a bit of shock actually that an actual press release would come out and say, having heard the audio — that an umpire thought it had been scratched and well within their rights to change the ball — that it’s like, ‘Oh no, nothing more to see here.'"

"The issue is, similar to any other time India are aggrieved, they threatened to maybe pull a tour or they threatened X, Y and Z and people retreat. Part of me just thinks if this wasn’t India, there would be a totally different reaction."

Cowan's ex-teammate David Warner echoed his comments and demanded an explanation from Cricket Australia for 'squashing' the umpire's claims.

"You can’t choose when integrity matters" - Ed Cowan

Ed Cowan. (Image Credits: Getty)

Cowan feels Cricket Australia would have addressed the matter differently if it was any team other than India.

"If that was Pakistan A, or England A, or choose any A team, or even a Shield game, the reaction would be totally different and for me, that’s the wrong approach," he said during the same discussion. "To be fair, it’s just us joining dots. These dots may be totally incorrect, we’d have imperfect information, but I do think it’s on Cricket Australia to clarify this, and it’s also probably imperative on the BCCI to clarify this. My underlying issue here is you can’t choose when integrity matters."

Meanwhile, Australia's blockbuster Test series against India gets underway on November 22 in Perth.