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AUSTRALIA CRICKET CHEATS

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The thread title says it all. However I’ll say it again, AUSTRALIA CRICKET CHEATS!

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  3. Well Smith and Warner are proven cheats. Watching now, Australians have lost the plot with their bowling and field settings and getting Stokes angry is very very stupid.

    • always worth mentioning that Smith and Warner aren’t the only cheats in the team. I can’t believe that the bowling attack didn’t know they were playing with a doctored ball – either they knew about it, or they’re a bit thick, or they’re not good enough at their jobs to realise. And I’m not sure the last two are feasible.

      • It’s also defies all credibility to believe that they got caught the very first time they did the sandpaper thing. We’ll have to wait for those fast bowlers’ autobiographies I guess.

  5. Yep, still intimidating the umpires, claiming dropped catches, and fielding the two biggest cheats in the history of the game. Same old Aussies. But the Bairstow thing wasn’t cheating. I’ve seen it in pub games but the umpires usually refuse to give it out. It’s like a Mankad – legal, but a cunty thing to do. It was an Australian being an arsehole (Zampa) who prompted the Law change on the Mankad too.

  8. Even though it was within the laws of the game it certainly wasn’t within the spirit and surprised Cummins doubled down on the decision in the post match interview – even Glenn McGrath seemed surprised by his comments.
    Hopefully this will galvanise England going forward to Headingley on Thursday….presume Anderson will be out and Robinson looked down on pace. If fit Wood will undoubtedly play alongside Tongue and Broad, and maybe Potts. Must be a big doubt over Pope too.

  9. If a spinner is bowling then Bairstow has the presence of mind to stay until over is called. Carey is entitled to throw, appeal entitled and umpires decision is based on the rule. No cheating has occurred.

    It’s time to let the Warner Smith thing rest. They served a very long suspension and in Smith’s case unjustified . Bad captaincy yes, bad leadership yes. Year long suspension ?

    I think Stokes claiming spirit of cricket is the phrase of a very disappointed losing captain. He will likely regret the remark. What an incredible player he is.

    It is worth recalling that Stuart Broad has always claimed that it’s the umpire who makes the decisions.

    • I actually don’t think Stokes would have supported an appeal if the boot was on the other foot – that’s a guess on my part, but it is implicit in his remark.

      It is a bit vague, and I must admit I have often wondered how play ‘stops’ between balls, but apparently each side has to ‘agree’ the ball is dead. Therefore, the batter won’t suddenly run and the fielding side won’t try to stump/run out the batter. In this case it was the end of an over and the umpires hadn’t called ‘over’, so the ball wasn’t dead. Bairstow had tapped his bat in the crease and wandered off up the wicket assuming it was dead as it was the end of the over. Frankly, although within the laws of the game, and it was an action which was clever/smart/sharp and Carey was quite within his rights, it was a fairly horrible thing to do and leaves a bad taste. If they had withdrawn the appeal they would have been lauded as heroes for supporting the spirit of the game, and rightly so. They would have forever been applauded for a sporting gesture, but the opposite will now happen, whether justified or not.

      Assuming Bairstow keeps his place, I bet he tries it next match.

  10. Through all Mankad kerfuffle my view is stay in your crease to the batsman backing up. Bairstow made a schoolboy error, left his crease and Carey took advantage within the laws. I’m looking forward to Mo Mankadding Smith at Leeds. Bottom line remains. Stay. In. Your. Crease. What a game of cricket though. 3 more games like this. The next two a Leeds and Old Trafford will be electric. Stokes continues his mission to save test cricket single handedly and I love him for it two nil down or not.

  11. I’m a big Test cricket & England fan (despite my Scottish roots) but it was a bit careless of Bairstow & for Broad to get a bit chippy about it was rather rich, given his refusal to walk a few years ago. As was the moral outrage from the Aussies at his actions as aside from Gilchrist, the Aussies only walk when they miss the bus.

    We can’t expect Cummins to throw Carey under the bus either.

    Sets it up rather nicely for the last 3 tests though!

    • I always like it when Jonny Bairstow is referred to as “Young Jonny Bairstow”.

      Similarly, Ashley Giles should always be known as “the King of Spain”.

    • I’m a reasonable man, but this whole “Broad not walking” thing that the Aussies have is just ludicrous. On the dismissal in question he got a fine edge, it bounced off the keeper’s gloves and went to slip. The crowd went ballistic because they thought he hadn’t walked for a standard slip catch, not knowing from a distance that the ball had gone to slip off the keeper’s gloves. A decade later it still gets brought up every time there is a controversy, usually by Australian fans trying to show how devious/morally bankrupt/hypocritical England fans are. When did any Aussie (with the honourable exception of Adam Gilchrist ever walk?

      • The point, which clearly sailed miles over your head, is that ill behoves England to moan about the spirit of cricket when they signally observe it only when it’s convenient for them.

        Did it ever occur to you that in fact England fans – and some players and coaches – are in fact hypocritical?

        • No need to be unpleasant about it. I haven’t been one of those complaining about the spirit of cricket – have a look at the other threads about the Lords Test and you will see that.

          My point was that Broad not walking is an incident that is often used to illustrate English dual standards but that it is a poor example.

  15. Sport is about accepting defeat with the same grace as you accept victory. If you don’t understand that you don’t really understand sport.

    You can make an argument for “not in the spirit of the game” but anyone calling out cheating needs to be perfect in that respect themselves. England clearly have not been and so to see it raised is embarrassing and hypocritical.

  18. In the cold light of day, its within the rules, it’s a shitty thing to do, Cummins had an opportunity to be very sporting and missed it and Stuart Broad is very funny.

    Roll on Thursday. I suspect that this series is going to get even better – and England win will set it up beautifully.

  19. I don’t normally comment on threads like this but I can’t resist doing so here.

    I grew up playing cricket in the Bolton League which was tough cricket with professionals, many of whom were current internationals in those days. It was drummed into me by senior players, even before I made the first team, that I must not leave my crease until the fielding side started lobbing the ball round the field to the bowler so it was clearly dead and no dickhead could run you out. I wouldn’t have done what Carey did but Bairstow was dozy and unprofessional to give him the chance.

    This view of things seems to be shared by everyone I know who has played a good standard of cricket (southerners as well as northerners). It was addressed sensibly by Gideon Haigh on Sunday thus: “Let’s get this out of the way first. Cricket has some vague statutes. Law 20.1.2 is not one of them. Indeed, it could hardly be more explicit: “The ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.”

    So dead ball reflects a view unanimous among players that conveys itself to the umpire. And, errr, that’s it. Jonny Bairstow’s view yesterday that he was temporarily invulnerable to dismissal was clearly not shared by his opponents or the umpires. No, he was not taking a run. That is why he was stumped. I’m glad we had this little chat.”

    Michael Atherton also comments sensibly today: ““I think we all want the theatre of the game, don’t we? So, I’m here to provide it. I don’t really care how it’s perceived, to be honest. It’s the Ashes. It’s international sport. If you can’t handle that, what can you handle? When you’re in the heat of the moment and you have the passion of the Ashes, that can happen.”

    No, not Alex Carey or Pat Cummins after Lord’s, but Ollie Robinson in full flow at Edgbaston after his foul-mouthed send-off of Usman Khawaja. Happily, Robinson was not available for comment after the second Test but one assumes his attitude has not changed in the space of a fortnight and that he, at least, would have no complaints over the legal stumping of Jonny Bairstow. If you can’t handle that, what can you handle?

    There was theatre, all right, at Lord’s. Most of it was acceptable in my view — the stumping of Bairstow and the general booing from a crowd that had paid its way. Some of it wasn’t — in particular the braying from MCC members whose proximity to the players in the Long Room is a privilege not to be abused. There was little cool, rational thought on display then, nor, it would seem, on the morning afterwards, given some of the comment.”

    Things happen in the heat of the game. Some people will do things others wouldn’t do. It wasn’t cheating and whether or not it was against the spirit of the game is down to personal opininon. Let’s get over it and look forward to the next Test Match.

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