David Warner has accused Cricket Australia of ignoring the India A ball-tampering accusation, suggesting that officials swiftly "squashed" the issue ahead of the Test summer. Warner officially closed the chapter on his own ball-tampering scandal on Wednesday, following his appointment as the Sydney Thunder’s new BBL captain. The 38-year-old’s new role comes just two weeks after his lifetime leadership ban was lifted, marking the end of the remaining sanctions from Australia’s 2018 ball-tampering scandal.
Warner and Steve Smith were both banned from all international and domestic Australian cricket for a year after the Cape Town incident, while Cameron Bancroft received a nine-month suspension. These penalties were the most severe ever imposed for ball-tampering in global cricket, resulting in significant reputational damage for the trio. However, the recent accusations in Mackay serve as a stark reminder of the ongoing issue.
Umpire Shawn Craig accused India of causing a "scratch" on the ball during the fourth innings of the tour match against Australia A. The ball was replaced before the fourth morning, and both teams were informed. However, within hours, the India A players were effectively cleared and faced no sanctions. "They have obviously squashed it as fast as they could, given that India is coming out here this summer," Warner said when questioned about the matter on Wednesday. "But if the umpires deemed something happened, I am sure there will be a follow up."
Warner believes that the umpires or the match referee should address the issue publicly. When asked if it should be irrelevant that India were scheduled for five Tests this summer, Warner responded, "That’s what I am saying." He further stated, "I think the match referee should be coming out and addressing his own staff, which are the umpires. And if they’re sticking by the umpire’s decisions, you have to stand up for that. That’s obviously a statement CA have to release. I have not seen anything."
The umpires also chose not to report India A wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan for dissent after the game, despite his comment to Craig that it was "stupid" to switch balls. Cricket Australia (CA) insists that the correct procedures were followed after the Mackay match, and no evidence was found to support the claim that the ball was scratched. This incident threatened to reignite tensions between CA and the powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
India had previously threatened to withdraw from the 2007-08 tour when Harbhajan Singh was accused of calling Andrew Symonds a monkey by Australian players, resulting in a three-Test ban for Singh. The ban was later overturned following an appeal from India, who claimed Singh did not use the racial slur. India also considered skipping the Test series decider at the Gabba during their most recent tour in 2020-21 due to dissatisfaction with the COVID protocols required to enter Queensland.
Source link: https://www.theguardian.com
