ENGINEERING REVERSE SWINGS

The ball tampering episode in full view of high definition cameras makes one wonder where the game is going – and what cheating methods will be tried next  Now that Cricket Australia (CA) has announced a one-year ban on skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) has jumped to ban the duo from the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) to showcase their high moral values in dealing with cheats. The ongoing Test series in South Africa has been marked by controversy and drama in full view of the cricket fans all around the world. Australian rookie, Cameron Bancroft, was caught ball tampering. Team skipper Smith admitted his role by calling it “entire leadership call”. Going by the confession of the player in question here, Cameron Bancroft, it was a piece of tape (yellow object), though others thought it was sandpaper to deteriorate the condition of the red cherry. The claims of Smith and Co has even opened up debate whether this tactic was the main reason for sweeping high-profile Ashes series just before the ongoing tour. Brain fade Not so long ago, Team India skipper Virat Kohli created a controversy by calling the actions of Smith & CO “a systemic cheating” while the Aussie team was touring India last year. The incident that time involved Smith and Peter Handscomb looking at the dressing room for assistance while deciding whether to ask for a decision review. After that famous “DRSGate” episode played out in full public view, Kohli come out in the open to accuse Australian cricketers of repeatedly taking the help of dressing room to decide on reviews. And the reply from Smith then was hilarious! “It was a one-time brain fade,” was how Smith described his act. But what followed then was not an act of regret from the Kangaroos. Rather, Cricket Australia’s chief went  to the extent of saying that the Indian skipper “doesn’t know the spelling for sorry” after several of his outbursts against the visitors. Unfortunately, the incident was never properly investigated and buried like many others in the past. “There are lines you don’t cross on the cricket field,” Kohli then had said. Now, going back to what happened on March 24, 2018 in Newlands, Smith and his entire senior pros were forced to admit in the press conference following the television footage that “yes, we did break the rules of the game to win a Test”. Thankfully, he stopped short of using the word “brain fade” for the second time in his career. According to Smith’s own words, “his leadership group decided to take matters into their own hands to get the ball to reverse”. And the player he chose to carry out his plans was none other but Bancroft, the junior-most member of the team. Thanks to Smith and his so-called seniors, Bancroft is now part of cricketing history (even if the ugliest one) for carrying out the most ill-fated operation on a cricket field in recent times. He was seen with a piece of sticky yellow tape that he tried to hide, once caught, in his underpants. Keeping everything aside for a minute, the sheer thought that their team could mastermind a win over the hosts by altering the condition of the ball with so many cameras trained on them is incredible. It’s amazing that Smith, Bancroft and Australia’s “leadership group” thought they could get away with it. History of cheats […]

RUSSIA’S RACISM PROBE

Anti-racism campaigners want FIFA to investigate the abuse of French players, including Paul Pogba, by Russian fans. Monkey chants could be heard from the crowd in St. Petersburg on Tuesday when black French players touched the ball in a friendly against Russia. The abuse was also audible on a TV broadcast after Pogba scored France’s […]

NO FAITH IN HERO

  Hat-trick hero Isco said it was a relief to play for Spain as he feels Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has no faith in him. Spain destroyed Argentina, who were without Lionel Messi, 6-1 in a friendly on Tuesday as Isco stole the show with his triple at the Wanda Metropolitano. The 25-year-old has […]

Why this wide ball?

After his wife’s sensational allegations, Modh Shami faces a probe by BCCi’s anti-corruption unit. But does it have any teeth? The Indian cricket board has to be complimented for maintaining a very straightforward stance when it comes to dealing with allegations of wrongdoing by any particular player. Be it the crisis of 1999 that erupted […]

GAMEPLAN LAUNCHED

Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG) brought the online gaming fraternity together to brainstorm on the future of fantasy sports The Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG), India’s first industry body formed for protecting consumer interests through the self-regulation of the sports gaming industry, has launched its flagship event ‘GamePlan’ in Mumbai. The event brought […]

CRICKETING TALES FROM THE FIELD

Sanjay Manjrekar directs a retrospective gaze on his own life, offering insights into relationships, influences and moments that form part of his observations as a person, cricketer and commentator There was a type of melancholic and underachieving Indian in the late 1980s and 90s who watched cricket with an empathy for the struggling career of […]

CHANGE THE GAME

Selectors are making a grave mistake when they pick talent from the same pool of players, whether it is Test, ODI or T20 Mayank Agarwal has scored more than 2,200-plus runs in an Indian domestic season, the highest by anyone in a single season. While the right-handed batsman was busy breaking records and helping his team win the […]

Peace in the rink

THIS YEAR'S WINTER OLYMPICS WITNESSED HISTORIC UNIFIED TEAMS OF SOUTH AND NORTH KOREA. BEIJING USED THE 2008 GAMES TO SHOWCASE ITS POWER, AND RUSSIA'S PUTIN USED SOCHI AS THE CURTAIN RAISER FOR HIS INVASION OF CRIMEA.