Former Test cricketers Shane Warne and Greg Matthews have both come forward to declare the one-year Test bans for Steve Smith and David Warner too severe.
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They’re not alone – it’s clearly a subject that has divided opinion. But I reckon they’re wrong. Dead wrong.
I don’t believe former Test players are the best judges in this case. They’re too close to it. No, the better judges in this case are the public: you and me. It comes down to what standards we want from our Test cricketers.
So let’s not sugar coat this.
If we were to reduce the sentence to six months (Warne and Matthews see this as more appropriate) that would basically mean they’re ready to play again at the start of next season – we’re coming into football season after all.
What message is that sending? That if you cheat you will get a slap on the wrist? Nudge, wink, take that!
I want better. I expect two things from my Test leaders.
One: that they will continue to perform at a level that warrants selection. And two: that they will set an example, on and off the field, that the positions warrant and kids will aspire to emulate.
Ball tampering? Not on your life. And let’s be honest: this was the worst case of ball tampering in Test history.
This wasn’t South African skipper Faf du Plesses polishing the ball with saliva from a lolly in his mouth. You can polish the ball with saliva anyway – it was a breach and not in the spirit of the game, but that’s about all.
It wasn’t England skipper Mike Atherton rubbing the ball in the dirt.
It was worse. This was pre-meditated, planned and involving a number of players – including hte captain and vice captain. This was taking a foreign object onto the ground with the express intention of cheating.
What if they’d gotten away with it? Cameron Bancroft, the third party in this saga, goes back to Western Australia and tells his teammates ‘hey guys, it’s okay to cheat, the Test captain and vice captain are doing it’.
For me, it’s like the CEO of a company. The pay packet is fat, but you have to keep delivering. If the share price goes down, you’re out.
And so it is with Test players. These guys are paid handsomely – $40,000 and $35,000 a week if reports are to be believed – and that comes with expectation.
I don’t care what punishment the other countries or the International Cricket Council have handed out. This is about what we expect from our players.
Like most people, I feel sorry for those guys when I see them tearily face the media. It was painful. But a line has to be drawn.
One year for Smith? The guy made his Test debut at 21 in 2010. With players playing to say, 34 these days, that’s a 13-year career.
So, with the ban it’s now 12 years. Totally reasonable I say. And more importantly it says to all future players, Australia won’t cop cheats.