WHAT A WEEK FOR CRICKET!

What a week for cricket and for the young men involved in the ball tampering scandal. Perhaps now the immediate furore has settled and the players back in Australia it’s time for reflection. I am in no way condoning their actions, however I’m also not condoning their being thrown under the bus. It’s a professional sport and I think that if every professional player was sent home for a professional foul, then we wouldn’t have much sport to watch! 

It’s competitive, it’s highly paid and the stakes are high. I certainly don’t believe in win at all cost, but surely this could have been dealt with behind closed doors. Both teams brought in for a quiet chat, the appropriate action taken, without destroying great players careers for this error of judgement, a lapse, a poor decision! 

The blame for bringing the game into disrepute must also lay on the shoulders of those who wanted it all to go public, who trained cameras on the action, waiting to catch the offender red handed. If they knew something was happening, why not, in the interest of the game, alert the officials and let it be dealt with, without ruining the game.

This is an international sport, not an international incident! Yes these young men represent their country. Australia is not a country of cheats, this is not a reflection on the country. It is simply a reflection of an error in judgement, a lack of forethought and it too will pass. 

It won’t destroy the game, it won’t destroy Australia, but handled in such a harsh and public way, it may well destroy the lives of three young talented men!