Andrew Flintoff questions Australian cricket team's ball tampering story

Former England captain Andrew Flintoff claims suggestions Australia's ball-tampering scandal was limited to banned trio Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft are 'nonsense'. Flintoff said the one-year suspensions handed out by Cricket Australia to former captain Smith and former vice-captain Warner and the nine-month ban for Bancroft as overly-harsh. The Australia trio were banned after admitting tampering with the ball in the third Test match of South Africa's recent series victory. Flintoff is convinced other players in the team would have known about plans to tamper with the ball and said he had great sympathy for the banned trio. "I am struggling to think that not everyone (in the team) knew," Flintoff told the BBC. "I might be completely wrong but you talk about it - you talk about how you're going to treat the ball. The ball in cricket is so important. "To say that a bowler has got a ball in his hands, or anybody else in the field does not know that this ball has been tampered with is absolute nonsense. "You talk and talk and talk about how you're going to look after this ball. To then say that other people didn't know; if that's the case I feel sorry for Mitchell Starc. "He's got the ball in his hands, he's running in thinking, 'he's Wasim Akram'. This ball's moving everywhere, he's thinking, 'I'm cracking it here, I'm doing something which is unbelievable'. Don't tell me you didn't know." When asked if he considered the punishments meted out by Cricket Australia were fair, Flintoff replied: "No - I think the crime doesn't warrant that. "One of the things which has really annoyed me is that I've seen people raising their profile on the back of other people's misery. "I've seen people I've played with, who have been good to me; I have seen them change in the space of two seconds. "All of a sudden (they say) 'let's call for their head, this is disgusting, this is disgraceful'. "Some of them are in glass houses: don't be chucking your stones lads. We've done a few things which aren't particularly in the rules - not as bad as that - and it changes. "Then I saw Steve Smith on TV crying his eyes out, so upset, and I put a tweet out saying: 'Are you happy now? Is that what you wanted'?"

The Test team needs a complete overhaul

Australia’s next Test series is against Zimbabwe and a new look side should be taking the field.

Matt Renshaw - Renshaw had a poor start to the Sheffield Shield season, which resulted in him being dropped from the Test team. Renshaw responded well to his axing, scoring three centuries and three fifties and finished the season as the competition’s leading run-scorer with 804 runs at 44.66.

Joe Burns - Burns had an excellent Shield season, scoring 725 runs at 55.76. His season was marred by an injury he sustained during the Big Bash, which ruled him out of the initial squad for the South Africa Test series.

Callum Ferguson - One of the casualties of the Hobart debacle, Ferguson has had an excellent Shield season, scoring 780 runs at 48.75. Ferguson has spent several seasons batting at three for South Australia which makes him an ideal candidate to bat at three in the Test team.

Cameron White - Despite not making the Victorian Shield team at the start of the season, White had a great season, scoring 574 runs at 52.18.

Glenn Maxwell - Maxwell had an excellent season, scoring 707 runs at 50.50 and was unlucky not to be picked during the Ashes or make the initial squad for the South Africa series.

Matthew Wade - Wade had a poor start to the Shield season, which saw him lose his Test spot. Following his axing, Wade has had a good run of form to finish the season with 654 runs at 43.60. Wade, along with Renshaw, were the only players to score three centuries this season. Wade’s keeping experience means that he should field at short leg.

Tim Paine (captain, wicketkeeper) - Paine’s batting and keeping has been excellent since being recalled for the Ashes.

Pat Cummins

Cummins was Australia’s best bowler during the South Africa series.

Mitchell Starc - The main concern over Starc is his fitness. Hopefully he will have recovered in time for the Test series.

Nathan Lyon (vice-captain) - Lyon has bowled extremely well over the past year and is Australia’s undisputed Test spinner.

Josh Hazlewood - Hazlewood bowled well during the South Africa series and was unlucky not to take more wickets.

Rousing debate rages on Aussie ball tampering

As the furore of the Australian ball tampering saga reaches a crescendo the brave ramifications handed out by Cricket Australia has shaken the game to its foundations for their severity. There is a mixed response from cricket followers worldwide many who question the lengthy periods on the sidelines for at least two of their best cricketers on the planet. Others say it is the best thing to happen if the game is to be rid of cheats who bring the game into disrepute. Cricket over the years and administrators including the world governing ICC have been accused of double standards depending who is in the firing line. And the ICC’s continued slap on the wrists punishment in this instance has been viewed as another attempt to look at things from a marketing perspective rather than one that maintains the game’s integrity. Whatever the circumstances that are considered before punishment for misdeeds is handed down it is in the vital interest of the game that the administrators have a control of any situation without fear or favour or their lack of it will only diminish interest and following by the general public who are the ultimate sources of income to its survival. As the findings and interviews have now been completed by the banished trio from South Africa there is still a lingering hostile reaction to David Warner’s stubborn mentality and refusal to admit that he may have been the mastermind if the dastardly act. When the wind blows over the whole sorry episode and calm is restored, Australia will always be viewed with a questioning eye by cricket followers worldwide and the shame of it will never go away.

Silver lining for Sandpaper-gate: Our ODI team may improve

There’s a possible silver lining for Steve Smith and David Warner being out of international cricket for 12 months, and Darren Lehmann resigning as coach – it might help our one-day team. Their absence could help rejuvenate what’s been a moribund outfit, and aid our 2019 World Cup campaign. It’s no secret that Australia’s one-day team has been in a form slump, ever since we won the 2015 World Cup. We have our moments, and superstar players, but there are so many problem areas. The middle order, the lower middle order, the bowling, the tactics… Smith’s leadership in the most recent ODI series against England was notably uninspired. He did things like publicly slag off Glenn Maxwell’s training, and made poor bowling choices. He was out of sorts with the bat too. I don’t blame the bloke – he was knackered after the Ashes (obviously to an even greater extent than many people realised). But Smith has never impressed tremendously as a one-day captain. Also, his batting seemed to fit in awkwardly in the ODI line up – should he open? Go to number three? Four? He never seemed to find a spot that really suited him. At the end of this summer, I was hoping they’d give Warner the captaincy before the 2019 World Cup. But I also acknowledge that would’ve been unfair and mean-spirited to Smith – his one-day batting isn’t that bad, and every Australian captain deserves the chance to captain a World Cup campaign.

I may never play for Australia again, says tearful David Warner

SYDNEY: Former Test vice-captain David Warner said he realised he may never play for his country again as he tearfully apologised Saturday over a ball-tampering scandal which has had deep repercussions for Australian cricket. As stand-in captain Tim Paine signalled a new approach with a pre-match handshake between the teams at the fourth Test in Johannesburg, Warner became the third disgraced Australian player to make an emotional appearance in front of media. The usually pugnacious batsman, 31, repeatedly struggled to talk and tears ran down his face as he apologised to fans, team-mates, his family and the Australian public. But he also evaded questions about whether the ball-tampering plot was his idea, whether it was the first time, who else was aware of it and whether he had been made a scapegoat. Warner, 31, told a media conference in Sydney: "I can honestly say I have only wanted to bring glory to my country through playing cricket. "In striving to do so I have made the decision which has had the opposite effect and it's one that I will regret for as long as I live." Warner's appearance comes after similar heartfelt apologies from opening batsman Cameron Bancroft and captain Steve Smith, who broke down when he faced the media on Thursday.

Support grows for crestfallen Steve Smith

A wave of sympathy for disgraced Australia skipper Steve Smith gathered pace on Friday after his heart-wrenching apology and as opposition grew to the severity of bans handed out in a ball-tampering scandal. Smith's tearful appearance in front of media helped trigger the resignation of coach Darren Lehmann and also prompted calls to rein in criticism which has verged on hysterical during an extraordinary week for Australian cricket. Both Smith and vice-captain David Warner were banned for 12 months and Cameron Bancroft for nine months for ball-tampering during the third Test in Cape Town. Lehmann - who had earlier warned about the players' mental state - said he was convinced him to step down by the emotional apologies of Bancroft and Smith, which also drew messages of support. "Dear Australia, that's enough now," ran a headline in British newspaper The Times. "This was ball-tampering, not murder."

Steve Smith’s junior cricket club’s touching Facebook post offers fallen captain support

Steven Smith,

Steven Smith is a long standing, proud member of Sutherland District Cricket Club. A local junior from the Illawong club who progressed through the Sutherland junior representative teams, he made his debut for our club in Green Shield in 2003 as a 14 year old. He always showed outstanding cricketing ability, but more importantly demonstrated his qualities as a person on and off the field. Steven was always well supported by his parents Peter and Gillian, who instilled the many fine attributes which makes Steven the person he is today. So obvious was Steven’s leadership and cricket abilities, we appointed him as our First Grade captain at the age of 19, the youngest First Grade captain in our club’s history. Everyone involved in our club and the broader cricket community of the Sutherland Shire has watched Steven’s progress as an international cricketer with immense pride over the years, as he became one of the world’s pre-eminent batsmen and captain of the Australian cricket team. He has always remembered where he came from in his cricketing development and been available to assist the club whenever his busy schedule allowed. The events of the last week have been well documented. There was an error of judgment for which Steven has been strongly punished for by Cricket Australia. As part of Steven’s immediate cricketing family, we wish to make it clear that we still have the highest regard for him. He is, and always will be, an extremely valued member of our club and we offer him and his family our unwavering support. Steven is a strong character who we have no doubt will come back from this setback. We will support Steven in any way we can to ensure he returns to international cricket where he belongs.

Mathew Duff
President
Sutherland District Cricket Club

After the press conference, Warner tweeted about the 'unanswered questions', acknowledging there were 'lots of them'

'I'm sorry for the impact those have had on our country's reputation. I have made a decision which has had the opposite effect and is one that I will regret for as long as I live,' Warner said. 'It's heartbreaking to know that I will not be taking the field with my teammates that I love and respect.' Warner became emotional while discussing the impact the criticism of his behaviour has had on wife Candice and daughters Indi and Ivy. 'Your love means more than anything to me. I know I would not be anything without you. I'm very sorry for putting you through this and I promise I will never put you through this again.' Vice-captain Warner was banned for a year by Cricket Australia for his role in the ball tampering scandal.

Shane Warne blames Australian prime minister for 'disgraceful' media reaction

Shane Warne says the Australian Prime Minister's comments on the ball-tampering scandal were partly to blame for the "disgraceful" media treatment of the players involved. Warne says Malcolm Turnbull's comments caused a media over-reaction and he believes Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft have been treated like criminals and dealt an excessive punishment. Smith addressed the media on Thursday with a tearful apology after being given a 12-month ban from Australian cricket. Warne said to Sky Sports: "He isn't Pablo Escobar. He didn't kill anyone. He's a guy that's made a mistake. To see him being man-handled at airports, to see him attacked, it is like the dogs are all over him. "I think it is a disgraceful behaviour from them. I think the way he has fronted up to the media has been completely honest, he has been up front and he has been emotional.

How did the ban happen?

CA's investigation found that vice-captain Warner had instructed fellow opener Bancroft to carry out the plan to scratch the ball with sandpaper, and had demonstrated to him how to do it. The duo, along with captain Smith, were subsequently banned from all international and Australian domestic cricket - while Smith and Warner will not play in the forthcoming Indian Premier League season, and resigned as captains of their IPL franchises. Warner will not be considered for any Australian team leadership positions in the future, while Smith and Bancroft have been suspended from captaincy for at least the next two years. Smith denied his side had tampered with the ball before, following suggestions that similar tactics were employed in the recent Ashes series against England. CA found that coach Darren Lehmann did not know about the plan, but he will step down after the fourth Test against South Africa, which began on Friday.

What did Warner say?

Addressing the media for the first time since the incident, Warner said that:

He had a "tiny ray of hope" he might play for Australia again, but he was "resigned to the fact that may never happen"

• He "fully supported" Cricket Australia's review into team culture
• He would "seek out advice and expertise to help me make serious changes"
• He was responsible for "my actions and the consequences it brings"
• He did not directly answer questions about whether any other members of the Australian team had been involved in the plan to tamper with the ball, instead restating that he was there to take responsibility for his own actions in Cape Town.

Warner later posted on social media that he would do his best "in time" to answer questions people may have. "There is a formal CA process to follow and I am taking advice to make sure I properly comply with that," Warner tweeted.

Heart-wrenching moment as Steve Smith's father packs his cricket kit

Australia cricket team has been in muddle since the time sandpaper gate broke out. The team's core foundation, Steve Smith and David Warner were found guilty of doing the nefarious act which led to their sacking from the captaincy and vice-captaincy eventually of them being banned from international cricket for a year. The 'ball-tampering' act unfolded on the third day of the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town, as the young opening batsman Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera roughing up the ball using 'yellow-tape' trying to alter the conditions. The eight-Test-match old Bancroft admitted his wrongdoing as Smith also admitted to being aware of the situation and being part of the act with "leadership group", which constituted David Warner.

Australia-South Africa handshakes a show of respect - Tim Paine

New Australia captain Tim Paine says his decision to introduce a team handshake with opponents South Africa was a "show of respect" by his side. Before the first day of the fourth Test on Friday, both teams shook hands following the national anthems. The Test is the first since the ball-tampering scandal which led to bans for ex-skipper Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. "We've got to be more respectful. It's time for us to change," Paine said. "At times we've tended to push the boundaries as far as we possibly could. "I think that we've seen that people probably don't like that, so it's time for us to change. We're happy to do that." South Africa ended day one on 313-6 after opener Aiden Markram made 152. The Proteas were 247-2 in the 71st over with Markram and AB de Villiers at the crease, but Australia fought back with four wickets late in the day. South Africa lead the series 2-1 and are aiming to clinch a first home series victory over Australia since 1970.

Steve Smith could return as Australia captain by 2020

THE door is open for Steve Smith to return as captain from 2020 onwards, but Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive James Sutherland says the banned batsman has a “very steep hill to climb”. Smith will spend the next 12 months on the sidelines, having also been forced to step down as skipper for his role in the ball-tampering scandal. CA has barred Smith from holding a leadership position for a further 12 months — with Tim Paine to lead the side in his absence — starting with the fourth Test against South Africa that begins on Friday. Smith is en route to Sydney, where he will face the music at a press conference late on Thursday. The world’s top-ranked Test batsman was hounded by TV cameras and photographers at Johannesburg airport, requiring the sort of police protection more commonly afforded to high-profile criminals. The 28-year-old remains shattered but is desperate to rebuild his image, return Australia to the top of world cricket, and reclaim the captaincy. “He’s got a very steep hill to climb to rebuild the confidence and faith of the Australian public,” Sutherland said, when asked if Smith could potentially lead the side again.

Steve Smith's career started with a remarkable rise, but where will he fall?

The best since Bradman.

The public face of a disgraced culture within Australian cricket. Steve Smith is today, arguably, both of these things.What was building as potentially one of the greatest careers in the game has been derailed by a senseless act of self-harm.And a failure to adequately come clean in its immediate aftermath.When Smith, along with a "leadership group" he presides over — which turned out to be nothing more than himself and vice-captain David Warner — hatched a ham-fisted plan to tamper with the ball over lunch on the third day of a Test match, his moral authority to lead was left in tatters.Once the Australian public made clear their disgust over his actions he simply had to go. The now former Australian captain has been suspended for 12 months from all international and domestic cricket after his incredible decision to sanction blatant cheating.The door has been left open for him to return to the team and, remarkably, even to the captaincy a year after returning to the game, should he earn it. That offer is a nod to his previous good character.No such concession was offered Warner, who also has been banished for a year.The vision of Cameron Bancroft, the junior member of the team co-opted into undertaking the illicit act, nervously stuffing a piece sandpaper in to his pants on realising he had been found out, will follow him the rest of his career.Bancroft, whose own nine-month ban reflects his status as a patsy in the plan, as well as his callow status in the team, may never play for Australia again.

'He's been put in the naughty corner' Jim Maxwell says Warner ostracised by team

Maxwell, who is travelling with the team in South Africa, said Warner's absence could last beyond any official ban handed down by Cricket Australia (CA). Cricket Australia's boss James Sutherland announced this morning that Warner, captain Steve Smith and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft would be sent home over their roles in the ball-tampering scandal that has rocked Australian cricket. The scandal broke after Bancroft was caught on camera using tape to rough up the ball in the third Test in Cape Town. Warner's 74 Tests at the top of the Australian batting order have brought 21 centuries at an average of 48.20. But Maxwell says his reputation has fallen so far in cricket circles and with the general public that he may have played his last match. "I would have a feeling that beyond any ban, he may never play for Australia again out of all this, because he's so much on the nose with the players and probably the public as well," he told ABC News Breakfast. "Who would have thought that a few weeks ago, when he had all the boy scout badges on him after captaining the T20 side and he seemed to be the clean-skin? "But I'm afraid the leopard spots came back in the past couple of weeks and I think he's the main problem at the moment with the side in terms of its attitude." CA is yet to hand down the penalties for the three players, but Maxwell said bans between six and 12 months could be in order. A six-month ban would make players available again for Australia's next Test series against India in November.

Shane Warne expresses his discontent with the ball tampering punishments in a long Facebook post

The punishment given to Steve Smith and David Warner for ball-tampering in the third Test against South Africa does not fit the crime, cricket legend  Shane Warne says. In a lengthy Facebook post on Wednesday night, Warne said that, although their actions were "un-Australian", Smith and Warner should have been allowed to continue playing. "My punishment would have been to miss the fourth Test match, a huge fine, and be sacked as captain and vice-captain. "But they should still be allowed to play after that," he said.

Darren Lehmann said Steve Smith and David Warner were not bad people

Tears welling in his eyes, head cricket coach Darren Lehmann has pledged that the Australian team will change and so will he. Only hours before he sat down behind a desk in the basement of the Intercontinental Hotel here in South Africa, he had seen off Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft in emotional goodbyes as they headed for Tambo international airport and beyond, not to return to this exclusive touring party for a long time. The Australian head coach has overseen a team with a hard and uncomprising edge that has been pilloried around the cricket world and at home, even before their crash last Saturday to an all-time low. On Wednesday, there was softness as Lehmann stressed that the "human side" of the ball-tampering controversy needed to be understood, pleading for the culprits to be given a second chance. Make no mistake, this is rock bottom for the Australian team. The crying shame of it all is that it has taken such a terrible episode, tarnishing careers and changing lives, for Lehmann and what is left of the side to look themselves in the mirror. The coach has endorsed an attitude of stretching the limits of what is considered acceptable, content to win ugly if that is what it takes. Headbutting "the line", as they liked to say. It was an approach that was the poisonous foundation for what took place at Newlands. That is all over. Winning, suddenly, isn't all that matters. They are putting a line through the line. "I need to change," Lehmann said.

What does the cricket world think?

Former England captain Michael Vaughan: "Steve Smith is a good guy who made a huge mistake. He needed punishing but I think this is too harsh. Bancroft was led astray and deserved punishing but again, too harshly, in my opinion. The other guy, I really don't care about..."

Ex-Australia captain Michael Clarke: "Too many reputations on the line for the full story not to come out. Cape Town changing room is a very small place." West Indies bowler Tino Best: "I honestly believe everyone is overreacting. Look there isn't a professional player who hasn't done it, cricket is tough especially on flat wickets."

South African batsman Hashim Amla: "What kind of cricket do you want to play? It has probably given the ICC a lot more headaches and the opportunity now is for the governing bodies to show us, where is this line?"

Will Warner regret past comments?

In 2016, South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis was fined 100% of his match fee but avoided a ban for ball-tampering in their series against Australia. Television footage appeared to show the 33-year-old licking his finger and shining the ball while eating a sweet. Responding to the incident, Warner had said: "From an Australian cricket perspective, we hold our heads high. I would be very disappointed if one of our players did that. "For us it is about controlling what we can do. The rules are in place for a reason, so if you are not going to use the, why bother having them? "We the players know the guidelines so if you are going to overstep the mark, you will get fined and must be prepared to miss Test matches too."