Suspension handed to Aussie trio by Cricket Australia step in the right direction

The cricketing world is going through an upheaval after the Sandpaper Gate scandal involving three prominent Australian cricketers broke out. Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera indulging in ball-tampering and then hiding the object in his trousers during the third Test against South Africa.

The series of events that unfolded made the world sit up and take note of the incident with multiple opinions being shared by the fans and cricketing fraternity who were left dejected and shocked. The trio was first handed a punishment by the ICC and later by the Australian Cricket Board.

Smith and Warner have been suspended from participating in domestic and international matches for 12 months whereas Bancroft has been handed a suspension of 9 months.

The Australian Cricket Board charged all the three cricketers under Article 2.3.5 of the Cricket Australia Code of Conduct for committing acts against the spirit of the game and bringing disrepute to the gentleman's game. The particular article is wide in its scope and has allowed the board to impose sanctions on the players for not only committing the offence but also misleading the match officials and the public. The board's sanctions have to be regarded as a bold move to restore the trust of the fans and maintain the sanctity of the game.

Not only ball-tampering but cheating

It has also emerged as a case of planned and intentional cheating which was not only restricted to the on-field incident but also in the way it was dealt with after it broke out. From the moment the incident was caught by the cameraman, it seemed like the players were cautious and acted according to a calculated plan.

Firstly, Bancroft lied to the match officials about using sticky tape and dust in an attempt to make the incident look spontaneous. Secondly, in the press conference that followed the incident, Smith cited a 'leadership group' responsible for the whole incident without naming the exact people involved in it.

If there was an admission of guilt or remorse, he should have gone ahead and revealed all the people involved. Understandably, Smith avoided naming Warner as he was aware of the repercussions that would follow. Moreover, there is plenty of suspicion about Coach Lehmann's role too even though his name has been cleared by the CA’s investigation team.

It is disheartening, to say the least, to witness such acts from cricketers who are idolized all over the world.

Setting a strong precedent

An interesting argument has been raised regarding the gravity of the offence of ball-tampering and the punishment that has to be accorded. Ball-tampering is done with the motive of gaining an undue advantage over your competitors by changing the condition of the ball which not only goes against the spirit of the game but also hampers competition.

It is evident from the past that ball-tampering has been dealt with leniently by the ICC and Cricket Boards alike and the offenders have walked away comfortably with the punishment ranging from a fine to a one-match ban. However, stringent sanctions are required to deter the players from indulging in such unethical practices in the future.

Things have turned ugly this time considering the way the Aussies play their cricket and this should pave the way for ICC to set a strong precedent.

In a surprising move, Chief Executive of the ICC, Mr. Dave Richardson announced his wish review players' code of conduct to restrict such activities in the future.

“So, with the full support of the board we will be undertaking a wide-ranging review into player conduct and particularly into the spirit in which the game is played in the code of conduct,” he said.

“The spirit of the game has been there for a long time but it has not been defined what it means”. So, underneath that code, we need to try and establish and be much clearer on what we mean when we say ‘cricket has to be played according to the spirit of the game,’” he added.

The incident has been considered one of the biggest scandals to affect the cricketing world and the sanctions imposed by the Australian Cricket Board seem like the right step in dealing with the unethical practices and keeping intact the spirit of the game.