I'm actually feeling a little sorry for Smith. Think he allowed Warner to influence him and believe that a 6 month ban would be more than enough recompense provided it does turn out to be a worldwide ban (there is a chance he could play county cricket for example). Equally, Bancroft's should be 6 months too because he lied in the press conference too. As for Warner I would just lock him up in a cell with KP and throw away the key!
I'm actually feeling a little sorry for Smith. Think he allowed Warner to influence him and believe that a 6 month ban would be more than enough recompense provided it does turn out to be a worldwide ban (there is a chance he could play county cricket for example). Equally, Bancroft's should be 6 months too because he lied in the press conference too. As for Warner I would just lock him up in a cell with KP and throw away the key!
Don't feel sorry for Smith. He is supposed to be the captain but has shown what a weak character he is, undeserving of the honour.
I agree with you on Warner. He is a bully and they always prey on the weak, in this case a spineless captain and a struggling junior bowler desperate to keep his place in the team.
I'm actually feeling a little sorry for Smith. Think he allowed Warner to influence him and believe that a 6 month ban would be more than enough recompense provided it does turn out to be a worldwide ban (there is a chance he could play county cricket for example). Equally, Bancroft's should be 6 months too because he lied in the press conference too. As for Warner I would just lock him up in a cell with KP and throw away the key!
Don't feel sorry for Smith. He is supposed to be the captain but has shown what a weak character he is, undeserving of the honour.
I agree with you on Warner. He is a bully and they always prey on the weak, in this case a spineless captain and a struggling junior bowler desperate to keep his place in the team.
Do you mean Bancroft? If so, he's a batsman.
You're quite right. I was thinking about bowling too much! But I think my point is valid, he didn't pick Bancroft to do the deed by accident.
I'm actually feeling a little sorry for Smith. Think he allowed Warner to influence him and believe that a 6 month ban would be more than enough recompense provided it does turn out to be a worldwide ban (there is a chance he could play county cricket for example). Equally, Bancroft's should be 6 months too because he lied in the press conference too. As for Warner I would just lock him up in a cell with KP and throw away the key!
Don't feel sorry for Smith. He is supposed to be the captain but has shown what a weak character he is, undeserving of the honour.
I agree with you on Warner. He is a bully and they always prey on the weak, in this case a spineless captain and a struggling junior bowler desperate to keep his place in the team.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said "bully" - and I think that's what Warner did to Smith. He broke down in the Press Conference and I don't think that's for the cameras. By all accounts, when he played for the Vine, he was a model player and I just think that he got caught up in something that he didn't feel he had the presence to prevent.
I think that's one of the most difficult things about team sport. The physical courage to face a 90mph bouncer is far easier to come by than the moral courage to stand up to a senior player who is in the wrong, but forcing their will on people.
Smith could and should have stood up to Warner. He is the captain after all. I imagine it was much tougher for Bancroft who was hanging on to his place by fingertips and dare not rock the boat.
Everybody knows what a vile character Warner is and finally karma has caught up with him. Hopefully he'll spend what's left of his career scratching about for a game in grade cricket.
I'm actually feeling a little sorry for Smith. Think he allowed Warner to influence him and believe that a 6 month ban would be more than enough recompense provided it does turn out to be a worldwide ban (there is a chance he could play county cricket for example). Equally, Bancroft's should be 6 months too because he lied in the press conference too. As for Warner I would just lock him up in a cell with KP and throw away the key!
Don't feel sorry for Smith. He is supposed to be the captain but has shown what a weak character he is, undeserving of the honour.
I agree with you on Warner. He is a bully and they always prey on the weak, in this case a spineless captain and a struggling junior bowler desperate to keep his place in the team.
Do you mean Bancroft? If so, he's a batsman.
You're quite right. I was thinking about bowling too much! But I think my point is valid, he didn't pick Bancroft to do the deed by accident.
you're right, especially as Warner always used to be the ball-shiner until very recently.
Du Plessis on Smith "I do feel sorry for Steve, I do feel compassion towards him. I think he's one of the good guys and he's obviously taken responsibility for that".
Lots of players, including Du Plessis, have been found guilty of ball tampering and not received anything like the punishment CA have handed out. If they are doing it because of the general ill discipline under Smith then they should say so but if it is because TV rights are up for renewal shortly and they want to be seen to be doing the right thing for sponsors then that is wrong.
Bancroft when asked whether he was bullied into this by Warner said "Look I'm not here to comment about other players involved." His silence on that rather says it all.
Kane Williamson on Smith "he's not a bad person by any means"
Meanwhile Warner has sends a tweet instead of facing the cameras saying that he needs to take a deep breath and spend time with his family and advisers!
Sandpaper is a massive step up from boiled sweets saliva or using your fingernails, as it's completely premeditated, there's no logical reason to have sandpaper anywhere near a dressing room.
Still puzzled by this "Aussie leadership group" and how it didn't involved the coach or a senior bowler. It's hard to imagine Starc one minute bowling with a ball not deviating, then suddenly bowling with a zipping around sandpapered one without him having some idea of what happened
So it appears that Vince is going to bat at 7 and assuming Stokes can't bowl we will only have four front line bowlers including debutante Leach?
You'd think it's Vince 3, Root 4, Malan 5, Stokes 6, Bairstow 7, Overton 8. I don't think they would have dropped the fourth seamer if Stokes could not bowl.
According to the BBC - "All-rounder Ben Stokes is unlikely to bowl in the match because of a back injury, and did not bowl at nets on Thursday."
Which is the point I made previously about dropping both Woakes and Ali - you have to either replace them with two bowlers in which case you weaken the batting (if that's possible at the moment) or one batsman and one bowler in which case we go into the Test with just four front line bowlers.
They may think that on a non-spin friendly pitch, that Root is accurate enough to hold up and end and allow rotation of the 4 seamers?
A non spin friendly pitch could be a good test for Leach, to see whether he can be effective in such conditions, even if just going the "Ashley Giles" holding up an end role
The really frustrating thing about this is that the behaviour demonstrated by these international cricketers will be replicated, if not worse in some cases, and whilst local umpires do have the power to do something about in most cases they won't because of the ramifications of doing so.
So it appears that Vince is going to bat at 7 and assuming Stokes can't bowl we will only have four front line bowlers including debutante Leach?
You'd think it's Vince 3, Root 4, Malan 5, Stokes 6, Bairstow 7, Overton 8. I don't think they would have dropped the fourth seamer if Stokes could not bowl.
According to the BBC - "All-rounder Ben Stokes is unlikely to bowl in the match because of a back injury, and did not bowl at nets on Thursday."
Which is the point I made previously about dropping both Woakes and Ali - you have to either replace them with two bowlers in which case you weaken the batting (if that's possible at the moment) or one batsman and one bowler in which case we go into the Test with just four front line bowlers.
They may think that on a non-spin friendly pitch, that Root is accurate enough to hold up and end and allow rotation of the 4 seamers?
A non spin friendly pitch could be a good test for Leach, to see whether he can be effective in such conditions, even if just going the "Ashley Giles" holding up an end role
Trouble is that he will Leach will be targeted and we don't have 4 seamers if Stokes can't bowl and we include Vince.
I was also told by someone many years ago who played with Lehmann at Yorkshire that he was a great bloke and the best batsman he ever played with. However, there is no doubt that he allowed his team to play and act in a way (not just in respect of the tampering) in a way that simply isn't cricket.
Sandpaper is a massive step up from boiled sweets saliva or using your fingernails, as it's completely premeditated, there's no logical reason to have sandpaper anywhere near a dressing room.
Still puzzled by this "Aussie leadership group" and how it didn't involved the coach or a senior bowler. It's hard to imagine Starc one minute bowling with a ball not deviating, then suddenly bowling with a zipping around sandpapered one without him having some idea of what happened
Starc is their big reverse swing bowler and the tampering benefits him particularly. He is hopping mad that he's being implicated in this, but people will put 2 and 2 together and get their own answers.
I do find it surprising that the bowlers were unaware of the condition of the ball changing unnaturally. It is the tool of their trade, they take great care over maintaining the state of the ball to their advantage.
Again, it's the moral courage issue. Does he stand up and ask what the bloody hell is going on or does he keep his head down, take the extra wickets if they come his way and maintain plausible deniability?
Warner hasn't just screwed himself, he's damaged the entire team as well.
England absolutely HAVE to play Leach. Overton can smash a few boundaries, big whoop, he's a virtual non-entity as a Test bowler. Lower-order of Broad/Leach/Wood/Anderson = we've had worse, and 7 genuine batsmen are there to score the runs
It doesn't say much for the umpires that they couldn't spot the ball had been sandpapered. Might as well just put a coat stand behind each wicket and let the video bods get on with it.
I was also told by someone many years ago who played with Lehmann at Yorkshire that he was a great bloke and the best batsman he ever played with. However, there is no doubt that he allowed his team to play and act in a way (not just in respect of the tampering) in a way that simply isn't cricket.
Someone should put out a rumour that the ICC are investigating ball tampering during the Ashes and are considering stripping the convicts of the Urn. Now that would cause a real meltdown :-)
Someone should put out a rumour that the ICC are investigating ball tampering during the Ashes and are considering stripping the convicts of the Urn. Now that would cause a real meltdown :-)
Nice idea but the ICC actually ruled this out yesterday citing that too much time had passed.
I was also told by someone many years ago who played with Lehmann at Yorkshire that he was a great bloke and the best batsman he ever played with. However, there is no doubt that he allowed his team to play and act in a way (not just in respect of the tampering) in a way that simply isn't cricket.
I worked in Leeds for 2 years whilst Lehmann was playing for Yorkshire and had a chat with him on a couple of occasions - and i concur that he was a good guy with a big heart, and certainly had no worries chatting to me at some length. Also came into the indoor nets there and gave some open advice to the (external) guys who were netting .
Someone should put out a rumour that the ICC are investigating ball tampering during the Ashes and are considering stripping the convicts of the Urn. Now that would cause a real meltdown :-)
That'll be on the news just after Satan reports frost bite and air traffic controllers are overrun with pigs in Gatwick airspace. ICC a piss poor shabby cartel sucking long and hard on the teat of individual self-interest.
If I was Smith's Dad standing there through that nauseating humiliation I'd have grabbed the snivelling little shitehawk firmly by the ear, dragged him to his feet and kicked him repeatedly where his balls are supposed to be until the snot and vomit was coming out of his eyes, before quietly leaving without a backwards glance.
If I was Smith's Dad standing there through that nauseating humiliation I'd have grabbed the snivelling little shitehawk firmly by the ear, dragged him to his feet and kicked him repeatedly where his balls are supposed to be until the snot and vomit was coming out of his eyes, before quietly leaving without a backwards glance.
Comments
Smith could and should have stood up to Warner. He is the captain after all. I imagine it was much tougher for Bancroft who was hanging on to his place by fingertips and dare not rock the boat.
Everybody knows what a vile character Warner is and finally karma has caught up with him. Hopefully he'll spend what's left of his career scratching about for a game in grade cricket.
Lots of players, including Du Plessis, have been found guilty of ball tampering and not received anything like the punishment CA have handed out. If they are doing it because of the general ill discipline under Smith then they should say so but if it is because TV rights are up for renewal shortly and they want to be seen to be doing the right thing for sponsors then that is wrong.
Meanwhile Warner has sends a tweet instead of facing the cameras saying that he needs to take a deep breath and spend time with his family and advisers!
Still puzzled by this "Aussie leadership group" and how it didn't involved the coach or a senior bowler. It's hard to imagine Starc one minute bowling with a ball not deviating, then suddenly bowling with a zipping around sandpapered one without him having some idea of what happened
I do find it surprising that the bowlers were unaware of the condition of the ball changing unnaturally. It is the tool of their trade, they take great care over maintaining the state of the ball to their advantage.
Again, it's the moral courage issue. Does he stand up and ask what the bloody hell is going on or does he keep his head down, take the extra wickets if they come his way and maintain plausible deniability?
Warner hasn't just screwed himself, he's damaged the entire team as well.