Reckon Cricket Australia Did Not Want To Go Beyond The Superficial Example Of Ball-Tampering: Adam Gilchrist

Former Australian keeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist has called for Cricket Australia to do an in-depth investigation on the ball-tampering saga that erupted three years ago in South Africa. Following Cameron Bancroft’s revelations which indicate that more than three people knew about the scandal, Cricket Australia is open to accepting new information on the same. However, Adam Gilchrist thinks that the board knowingly swept the issue under the carpet without thorough scrutinization.

Former Australian skipper Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft were the only ones convicted of the offence. After Cameron Bancroft admitted that he tried to alter the condition of the ball using the sandpaper, Steve Smith revealed that the “leadership group” knew about it. Following investigations, Smith and Warner copped a year-long ban from international cricket, while Bancroft received a nine-month ban. But Bancroft’s statement has put the bowlers, including Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, and Pat Cummins under the spotlight.

Adam Gilchrist believes that it would linger over the Australian team for a long time and names would come up as there are people willing to pull the trigger when the time is right. The 96-Test veteran held Cricket Australia responsible for doing a quick review of the incident and indicating that not more than three people were aware of the same.

“It will linger forever, whether it is someone’s book or an ad hoc interview. Eventually I think names will be named. I think there are some people who have it stored away and are ready to pull the trigger when the time is right. I think Cricket Australia (CA) are responsible for why this will be continually asked…They went there and did this very quick review of that isolated incident and perhaps no one in the team knewmore than three people were aware,” Gilchrist said in a recent interview.

Anyone would be naive to think people were not aware of what was going on about ball maintenance: Adam Gilchrist

Adam Gilchrist further claimed that people would be naive to think that the bowlers did not know what happened with the ball and that Cricket Australia did not want to go there. The Western Australian opined that they did not wish to go beyond the superficial example of ball-tampering or whether it had been going for years. Gilchrist also speculated that the teams understood it had been going for years.

“Anyone would be naive to think people were not aware of what was going on about ball maintenance. I don’t think Cricket Australia wanted to go there. They did not want to go any deeper than that superficial example of ball-tampering. They did not investigate to see whether it was systemic had it been going on and on and on. Around the cricketing globe, it was widely accepted a lot of teams were doing it,” he added.

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