The biggest ball-tampering incidents in the game of Cricket

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Published on: 25 March 2018 11:40 AM GMT
The biggest ball-tampering incidents in the game of Cricket
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Lucknow: The young Australian batsman Cameron Bancroft, who is playing just his eighth Test match, has confessed tampering the ball during the match against South Africa, and in a stringent action against the team, skipper Steven Smith and vice captain David Warner have been forced to step down.

This is believably the worst cheating incident in the history of Cricket as the entire team and its management was involved in the episode. The fiasco has blotted the rich history of Australian Cricket as the senior players like Steven Smith and David Warner had forced Bancroft to change the condition of the ball with a yellow object.

This, however, is not the first time in the history of sport when players have indulged in tampering the ball.

Also Read: Ball-tampering row: Steve Smith steps down as Australia skipper

Here we have compiled six such instances in Test Cricket in past 30 years when ball tampering had spoilt the spirit of the game:

Faf du Plessis - Australia vs South Africa, 2016

South Africa has always been one of the gentlest teams in the world, but they might be at the receiving end in the ongoing Test but their players have been involved in such ball tampering scandals thrice in the past five years.

Faf du Plessis was once caught on camera sucking on a sweet during the second Test in Hobart, before using his saliva to shine the ball. The Australian team, however, had leveled no allegations but still International Cricket Council (ICC) held him guilty and fined him 100 per cent of his match fee. ICC had not awarded him any ban.

Vernon Philander – Sri Lanka vs South Africa, 2014

This time a South African bowler had been found guilty of changing the condition of the ball during the Galle Test against Sri Lanka. He was seen trying to scratch the ball with his fingers and thump. He had not contested the charge against him and was subsequently fined 75 per cent of his match fee.

Faf du Plessis - Pakistan vs South Africa, 2013

The same South African batsman was also charged for using a foreign object for ball tampering in a 2013 match against Pakistan in Dubai. He was caught on camera rubbing the ball on the zip of his trouser's pocket. ICC had deducted 50 per cent of his match fee for the incident.

Pakistan - England v Pakistan, 2006

The most disgraceful ball tampering incident in the recent years took place 12 years back with Pakistan forfeiting their Test against England at The Oval.

The on-field umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove had given five penalty runs to England after holding Pakistan guilty of tampering the ball, which left the tourists infuriated. Subsequently, Inzamam ul-Haq-led side had refused to return to the ground after tea break in protest. The match was awarded to England, the first ever forfeiture in Test history.

Also Read: What a 16-year old Japanese schoolgirl gave to Cricket? Yesss! the Knuckle Ball

Pakistan team later emerged innocent in the entire fiasco and ICC also had controversially changed the result of the match to a draw.

Sachin Tendulkar - South Africa vs India, 2001

Indian legend and the most decorated cricketer across the world, Sachin Tendulkar, also had been found guilty of tampering the ball in a Test against South Africa. Match referee Mike Denness had also awarded him one match ban after the game against South Africa in Port Elizabeth came to an end.

The TV footage had shown Tendulkar scuffing the seam of the ball, but in reality he was only removinb the piece of grass stuck in the seam of the ball.

Denness faced a lot of backlash from Indian fans with people even blaming him of racism. Finally, Tendulkar was cleared of the charges but the following Test had its Test status revoked as the Indian Cricket board refused to accept Denness as the match referee.

Mike Atherton - England vs South Africa, 1994

The then England skipper Mike Atherton was blamed of ball-tampering for keeping a substance in his pocket and rubbing it on the ball repeatedly. He, however, had pleaded not-guilty claiming that he used some dirt from his pocket to dry his hands.

He, however, wasn’t charged with ball-tampering and instead fined £2,000 for failing to disclose the dirt to the match referee. Despite facing criticism and opposition from all cordons of Cricket world, Atherton stayed as full-time England skipper till 1998.

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