Ex-Aussie star slams CA, claims India’s BGT pullout threat blocking fair ball-tampering investigation

Former Australian cricketer and Cricket New South Wales board director Ed Cowan has ignited controversy over the ball-switch incident during the final day of the first unofficial Test between India A and Australia A in Mackay.

Ed Cowan claimed that Cricket Australia (CA) may have handled things very differently if any team other than India had been involved in the ball-switch incident. Cowan has openly said that the financial interests in the upcoming high-stakes Test series may have influenced the lack of action from Cricket Australia (CA) over the incident.

Ed Cowan slams Cricket Australia's (CA) soft stance on ball-switch incident

In a move that raised eyebrows, India received a new ball on the final morning of the first four-day match after the original was found with scratches. It sparked frustration among the Indian players, and Ishan Kishan had some animated discussion with the umpire, Shawn Craig.

“You can’t choose when integrity matters.”

Ed Cowan weighs on India A being cleared of ball-tampering earlier this week.

Listen to the full chat on the Grandstand Cricket Podcast: https://t.co/eCztHYBpXr pic.twitter.com/kg2DzXtqt3

— ABC SPORT (@abcsport) November 6, 2024

The umpire has had no support from his employer: Ed Cowan

Even Shawn Craig was overheard on the stump mic telling the Indian players that their alleged scratching of the ball had led to the change, but Cricket Australia (CA) downplayed his claims by stating that the ball naturally "deteriorated," and that’s why the umpired changed the ball.

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Ed Cowan said on ABC Sport's Grandstand Cricket Podcast: “Shawn Craig, it feels, has been hung out to dry here, badly. He has had no support from his employer. He has seen something on the field (a scratched ball) and, in his best judgment, tried to rectify that. The issue is similar to any other time India is aggrieved; they threaten to maybe pull out of a tour or they threaten X, Y, Z, and people retreat. Part of me just thinks if this wasn’t India, there would be a totally different reaction.”

Well, Ed Cowan criticized CA, saying the board's reluctance to address the issue head-on comes from a deep-seated fear of upsetting India, particularly with the lucrative Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 on the horizon. He said that the fear of jeopardizing future tours or triggering a possible pull-out by India has led CA to sweep the incident under the rug.

Cowan further argued that CA has maintained a strong stance on upholding "integrity" on the field for others, but with India involved, they have conveniently turned a blind eye. The former cricketer said that this incident sets a concerning example that one team's influence can change the course of events simply because of their commercial value.

You can't lean out when it's India: Ed Cowan

The Cricket New South Wales board director further noted, “I’m in a bit of shock actually that an actual press release would come out and say, 'having heard the audio—that an umpire thought it (the ball) had been scratched and well within their rights to change the ball'. That is like, 'Oh no, nothing more to say here. We are going to keep on moving towards this test series that hopefully can assist in fixing the hole in our balance sheet.'.”

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According to Cowan, the ball-switch incident highlighted the uncomfortable reality of financial motives overtaking the principles of the game and CA easily kneeling down to India, and he didn't really like this.

He signed off by saying, “Integrity matters the whole time, and if you want to lean into that, you want to lean into the Afghani team and its women's program; if you want to lean into your own players scratching the ball, you can't lean out when it's India. I don't like this at all; that is my summary.”