Opinion Cricket thread

[darko]

What a shithouse night tonight's been for anyone who loves cricket and Australian Cricket particularly.

Warner did front the cameras with his wife and daughters briefly upon arrival into Sydney where he was asked if he knew Lehmann had resigned. He said his priority was getting his two kids to bed and asked for a couple of days to clear his head before responding with his own presser.

This whole mess has highlighted how scott free the ball tamperers of other nations have got off.

Smith will be back.

Bancroft too if form permits in 18 months or so.

Not so sure about Warner.

I don't think Warner will ever play for us again.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

He's a producer for the show, he's not some low tier scrub.

Also, some people think Bancroft is getting off pretty good compared to the others involved.

In that case, the pile on can continue.

 

[giantroo]

Steve Smith can be redeemed if he makes the right moves
Robert Craddock, The Courier-Mail
March 30, 2018 8:22pm


STEVE SMITH’s next step on the road to redemption should be to dispatch the latest press release from his players union into his rubbish bin.

It came from the Australian Cricketers Association and it dropped into his inbox just before he landed home on from South Africa on Friday night.

It questioned the “glaring and clear anomalies’’ in the one-year bans handed to Smith, Warner and the nine month ban to Cameron Bancroft for ball tampering, pointing out they were “considerably higher’’ than the International Cricket Council’s penalties for the same offence.

If ever there was a case for a release being factually correct but missing the mood this was it.

Smith got one match from the ICC for ball tampering and one year from his country and his supporters were suggesting he should appeal the sentence because of the disparity between the two sentences.

Dumped Australian captain Steve Smith is comforted by his father Peter at the press conference at Sydney airport on Thursday night.

Legal eagles tell us he would probably win the case but his true friends are urging him to keep his gun in the holster.

Whatever Smith does over the next year one thing is certain. He should not appeal.

Even if he won the case and got a reduced penalty it would be a bad result for Smith. Now is the time for humility not hubris, contrition not attrition.

In a stunning change of public opinion, Smith has gone from being a figure of abject derision a week ago to one receiving sincere pity from a public who grieved with him when he wept the tears of a shattered man before the cameras in Sydney on Friday night.
Smith put his bleeding heart on the table and let the red stuff pour out in front of a nation who bled with him.

All that would be swept away if he appealed his sentence.

You cannot grieve like that, admit your sins, almost beg for forgiveness then say “I was harshly treated and here is why.’’

Steve Smith on Thursday night.
Soon after the press conference Smith headed off abroad for a holiday in Dubai to get away from it all and think about his future.

As chilling and chastening as it was for him to be part of the scandal there is vast room for him to rehabilitate his reputation.


He is planning to play grade cricket in Sydney during his absence and what a moment that will be when he takes on some up and coming fast bowlers baying for their tilt at the champ.

If he accepts the ban and does not appeal he will enter a foreign world.

Smith left school at 16 and has spent his whole life in the cricket bubble. He likes a punt, owns a few horses, loves Roger Federer and going out to dinner.

And that is about it.

He is a cricket tragic as well as suddenly being a cricketer with a tragic story.

History tells us there can be redemption if he makes the right moves.

Mark Waugh was fined for taking money from an Indian bookmaker but is now a national selectors and a recently-admitted member to Australian cricket’s Hall of Fame.

A few years ago no-one was talking to media star and former Melbourne Demons AFL identity Garry Lyon after he had an affair with great mate Billy Brownless’s wife.

Suddenly he is everywhere on the media landscape. A Fox Footy commercial in which a large group of players shout “nice Garry’’ is a central promotional vehicle for the channel this season.

Time will heal Smith’s wounds. Yes there will be scar tissue, but the bleeding will stop and the raw wounds will close.


The Australian side that Warner, Smith and Bancroft will leave behind will be remodelled in style and substance.

A new coach — probably Justin Langer or Jason Gillespie — will implement higher standards of behaviour and be held to them by a public who has had enough of the grubby sideshows.

Given the dominance of Smith and Warner as batsmen over the last few years their absence will leave the side the a bit like the Beatles without Lennon and McCartney.

But the challenge, while daunting, is also stimulating.

Players like Matt Renshaw, Joe Burns and Glenn Maxwell, who were rushed to South Africa for the current Test at Johannesburg, have the chance to resurrect their careers.

All of them are fine redemption stories.

Renshaw was sacked from the Test team at the start of the season but took up the challenge, lost weight, smartened himself up and returns a better player than he was.

Maxwell has at times been seen as the bad boy but given the notoriety of the ball tampering scandal is suddenly looking as well meaning as the Easter Bunny.

This is his chance. Three men’s folly has become three men’s open door.

Australia all at once are vulnerable, downcast, intrigued, nervous and hopeful.

There’s saying in business that you should never waste a crisis.

And crises don’t come much bigger than this.

 

[SpiderBurton22]

Dave Warner about to speak.

 

[LuvtheKangas]

Dave Warner about to speak.

I hope he explains how the black in his OLED TV really brings out the colours.

 

[giantroo]

 

[SpiderBurton22]

Apologized for his part. Emotional when talking about his family.

Dodged all questions about his relationship with the rest of the team, if any other players were involved, if he felt like he was being singled out as the villian and if it was his idea to tamper with the ball.

Looked like he wanted to defend himself but stuck to the scripted answers from the PR camp.

Not very convincing.

 

[Twinkletoes]

Sounded terrible dodging questions by repeating prewritten legal speak rather than taking it on the chin.

Should have owned up to the lot. "It was my idea", "I'm so sorry for what I did", "I ask that you cut some slack for Bancroft and Steve Smith", "I hope to come through this a better person" etc etc etc.

Anyway.........

 

[giantroo]

Not convincing at all. He is finished.

 

[Twinkletoes]

Not convincing at all. He is finished.

Something that I suspect is finally dawning on him.

 

[Harris 10]

Sounded terrible but Smith and Bancroft told us exactly the same.

He’ll just cop more from the media because he’s been a d!ck in the past.

 

[SpiderBurton22]

Sounded terrible but Smith and Bancroft told us exactly the same.

He’ll just cop more from the media because he’s been a d!ck in the past.

Smith and Bancroft answered questions sincerely. Warner didn't and just read a pre prepared statement

 

[giantroo]

No Bull on point. What were the pr/ comms guys thinking?

 

[Harris 10]

Smith and Bancroft answered questions sincerely. Warner didn't and just read a pre prepared statement

Like I said, sounded terrible.

Regardless of how any of them sounded we are still no closer to knowing what happened.

 

[Twinkletoes]

Like I said, sounded terrible.

Regardless of how any of them sounded we are still no closer to knowing what happened.

Which is where Warner could have shed some light, seeing all signs have pointed to him being the instigator.

 

[SpiderBurton22]

Like I said, sounded terrible.

Regardless of how any of them sounded we are still no closer to knowing what happened.

I'll have a stab at what happened.

Warner got the new boy to do what he usually does due the the Saffers raising concerns about Warner and all the tape on his hand during the last Test.

Smith walked by and saw what was going on, shook his head, probably laughed and said I'm not getting involved in this.

The rest of the team, especially the bowlers more than likely knew what was going on. Maybe not in the terms of someone taking to the ball with sandpaper but the nudge, nudge, wink, wink sort of way of "if the balls doing nothing lads, let's make sure we scuff up one side of the ball and try and get it reversing"

 

[Harris 10]

I'll have a stab at what happened.

Warner got the new boy to do what he usually does due the the Saffers raising concerns about Warner and all the tape on his hand during the last Test.

Smith walked by and saw what was going on, shook his head, probably laughed and said I'm not getting involved in this.

The rest of the team, especially the bowlers more than likely knew what was going on. Maybe not in the terms of someone taking to the ball with sandpaper but the nudge, nudge, wink, wink sort of way of "if the balls doing nothing lads, let's make sure we scuff up one side of the ball and try and get it reversing"

Possibly, it will come out and probably through the courts in my opinion.
Can see CA giving him a payout to go away but not sure he’ll like that.

 

[Grogg]

Not convincing at all. He is finished.

Worst case of crocodile tears I think I've ever seen.

If he strained any harder he would have **** himself.

 

[giantroo]

He has now tweeted

 

[giantroo]

Incoming lawsuit?

 

[SpiderBurton22]

Incoming lawsuit?

PR damage control after the crap presser.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Those against the sledging will be happy:

https://www.foxsports.com.au/cricke...e/news-story/01fb3a4b950d1336bbff1ba7441df66b

NEW captain Tim Paine borrowed a page from the world game’s playbook as the Australian cricket team stopped sledging and started their mission to win back public support.

The cheating scandal and wide-ranging criticism of player behaviour prompted Cricket Australia to launch an independent review into team culture and conduct. Paine, who became the nation’s 46th Test skipper after Steve Smith’s sacking, has already made some changes.

Australia were notably less nasty on day one of the fourth Test against South Africa as they tried to swap crass for class in Johannesburg. There were no verbals or histrionics — in sharp contrast to the stoushes that have marred the previous three Tests.

There were also some pre-game handshakes between the rivals, a gesture Paine gleaned while watching soccer during a taxing week.

Cont..

 

[giantroo]

Redemption:

 

[North Viking]

Those against the sledging will be happy:

https://www.foxsports.com.au/cricke...e/news-story/01fb3a4b950d1336bbff1ba7441df66b

NEW captain Tim Paine borrowed a page from the world game’s playbook as the Australian cricket team stopped sledging and started their mission to win back public support.

The cheating scandal and wide-ranging criticism of player behaviour prompted Cricket Australia to launch an independent review into team culture and conduct. Paine, who became the nation’s 46th Test skipper after Steve Smith’s sacking, has already made some changes.

Australia were notably less nasty on day one of the fourth Test against South Africa as they tried to swap crass for class in Johannesburg. There were no verbals or histrionics — in sharp contrast to the stoushes that have marred the previous three Tests.

There were also some pre-game handshakes between the rivals, a gesture Paine gleaned while watching soccer during a taxing week.

Cont..

Geez is the cricket on...
I totally forgot about this last test.

Nor do I really care tbh. This is like a knife turning in my gut.
This test should of never been played.
CA should of payed out whatever commercial commitments they owed on this last test and brought the team home for healing and soul searching.

**** you Sutherland, you self centred conceited prick.

 

[Samsquanch]

Sutherland

Not one of the more popular blokes going around at the moment. Rightly so.