Try the tears again.
Australia Tour of South Africa 2018/Ball tampering
- Thread starter freeurmind
- Start date
Is he even answering any questions here? Just keeps repeating rehearsed statements. Maybe should try going into politics?
Warner proper don't give a feck
Well that's done him no favours.
Walked out, just answer the questions
He's gonna drag some more down with him, refusing to confirm it was just the 3
Cagey as hell from Warner. As they've just asked on TMS why bother with questions from the press if they'd told him to say: "I'm here to take responsibility for my part in what happened" to everything?
The only blokes who don’t sympathise with Smith and Bancroft after their actions are seemingly the people in here saying it’s ‘crocodile tears’. I can understand the dislike of Warner, I just can’t see why some of you can see Smith break down at the mention of his father and think that is anyway a rehearsed reaction.
I don't sympathise with regard to cricket. I don't think his ban is harsh on him personally. I sympathise with regard to just how much the Australian public have lost their minds over this and I hope all the players involved have support networks that can assure them that they won't be hated this much forever.
Very balanced post, I completely see your points. With respect to cricket, they all fecked up. But the abuse their families are getting, the heat from the media (when not even wife beaters in Australian sport get a fraction of the attention) is what I, like you, am appalled by. Seeing grown men reduced to tears for their and their families treatment is just staggering. If a bloke got up and cried to a press conference after beating his wife I’d not feel a shred of sympathy, but scuffing a ball and facing the torrents of abuse here is surely worthy of sympathy. These are human beings, feck.
I do sympathise with Smith and Bancroft for the over the top reaction of the people. I also believe the tears were genuine. I do not for one second believe the tears were because they were wrong to temper with the ball but that the tears are for the humiliation that they have brought upon themselves and more importantly on their families.
What makes you think it isnt true? You genuine believe Smith did not know what was happening?
Think you've got it right.
Tears tend to change people's opinions and hearts
To be fair, Smith may have known or he may not have known, but those in here saying definitively that he did know are speculating. I can accept that we cannot prove he didn't know, but @Wibble and I are going by the official findings.
I suspect Warner will spill the beans and CA will look even worse. Got to love scapegoats though.
This is from the official report:
Steve Smith was charged with a breach of Article 2.3.5 of the CA Code of Conduct based on:
(a) knowledge of a potential plan to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball;
(b) failure to take steps to seek to prevent the development and implementation of that plan;
(c) directing that evidence of attempted tampering be concealed on the field of play;
Does this not make it pretty clear Steven Smith knew beforehand?
What surprised me was the how they weren't penalised 5 runs.
And the ICC did feck all thereafter as well.
Sorry, yes, I've confused myself. What I argued, a few pages back, was that he played no part in the hatching of the plan and was not involved in the initial discussions to tamper with the ball. This is evidenced by Warner's charge of the "development of a plan to attempt to artificially alter the condition of the ball", and Smith being absent any such charge. So yes, he knew, (just when he found out about it is still unclear), and chose to turn a blind eye to it (while also later concealing evidence).
There was a tweet or article, can't remember the source, which basically said that Smith had said "what are you blokes up to? I want no part in it" or words to that effect.
Warner dodged the questions on whether only these three knew of the plan and whether this was the only incident. Quite likely this was much more widespread in the dressing room and CA is trying everything they can to limit the damage to the minimum by going overly harsh on the known perpetrators instead of letting the scandal take the whole team down.
It wasn't a one off though. They just happened to get caught because the media(FdV) suspected they were cheating and kept cameras on Bancroft due to a process of elimination. But they'd been doing for years and who can forget 'brain fade'. The culture had to be cleaned up...and I'd like to think Australia will be better for this. That said, everyone bends the rules and the game is far too much weighted for batsmen...but Australia need to clean all aspects of their cricketing culture.
Is there proof it wasn't a one off? Warner's answer was dodgy when he was asked if it was a one off but is there comprehensive proof? I do agree it's likely happened before, but all that tells me is that the sport has a problem, given other nations also have been repeatedly found guilty of some form of tampering.
I do also agree with the Aus culture requiring a clean up though. I think Warner typifies the culture so it's good to see him receive a punishment, albeit a ridiculously fecking harsh one. Lehmann, too, no doubt.
I'm on your side of the debate but it's very speculation laden. Smith's demeanor on the pitch and the press conference suggests that his biggest failing is that he he is a weak leader. I hope that is the case, but the way this has evolved, it wouldn't really surprise me if the worst was yet to come out. Warner's press conference today only added to the fire.
The players have till Tuesday to decide if they want to appeal - be interesting to see who does what.
Can't see what any of them have to gain by appealing. For Smith it would ruin a lot of the PR work his recent press conference has done. Warner isn't going to be selected regardless of a ban. Bancroft is best off keeping his head down and hoping that in a year's time people put it down to inexperience and naivete and forgive.
Bavuma has struggled a lot this morning he is 1 off 42
Do you live in Australia? I've seen a lot of outraged Aussies and, truth be told, I don't understand why. This is being so overblown, it's ridiculous. I've always despised Australia (the team) but I still can't help but feel for each of them. They made a fecking mistake, for heavens sake. We all do.
They were cnuts before this and they still are now. Maybe the issue is that Australia is only realising what everyone already knew. You're cnuts (not you, your cricket players).
David Beckham chose the wrong moment to gently kicked the leg of an opposition player after just being hacked down. He was vilified in this country. My next primary school assembly was about 'the man that let his nation down'.
People lose their minds over sport.
I'm with you there, seems his biggest error was a severe lack of leadership at a rather critical time.
If this was India or Kohli (or anyone else), no way would I turn on them.
Yeah I am, it's been staggering. The media has been so fickle too with their collective U turns after the player press conferences. The very same outlets that called for their heads suddenly called for forgiveness. Rather rich when these papers were the ones generating the furore against the players in the first place.
@DiseaseOfTheAge I also agree with you, sport seems to bring the best and worst out of people, the latter certainly on display here.
I would hope you wouldn't be calling for his head on a spike, no.
If this is an 'Indians are more rational about sport' argument, then that one's gonna be interesting.
Support them through the good and bad times. Bias would get in my way in terms of calling for a judgement but I would never turn on them, abuse them and probably wouldn't even want them banned.
they'd have burnt his house down when no one was around
The same crazy bastards who booed Sachin in his home fecking ground.
I think the attempt to tamper with the ball was so incompetent that they didn't even manage to change its condition.
Warner's press conference left more questions than answers. I liked the pre match handshake yesterday between both sides.
No. Folk should be honest, wrong is wrong whether it's a stranger or a family member.
I suspect sandpaper would alter the condition of the ball, Wibbs.
Oh it's wrong, but you don't turn on them.
Find it really strange that all three players involved have only seemingly just understood the wider implications of their on field behaviour and how it impacts on the nation itself, the young players who follow their example and their family who have to deal with unnecessary scrutiny. As much as I think the coverage has been over the top I cannot believe the entirety of Australian cricket lacked that much self awareness. Smith's first presser vs his second one is like light and day.