Usman's Sticking Point

48 SPORT SATURDAY MAY 22 2021 Aussies struggle Scandal’s ‘never to cope going to PETER LALOR and all that, but honesty was to go away’ take many forms on the day WHEN it all went down, one and has in the three years Test player stood up and told since. PETER LALOR his teammates that if they Resolved to meet it head on, stuck together they’d get Smith and Bancroft inexplica- YOU could argue – and at least through this, but it was too late bly listened to somebody who four of the players did in a state- – they were already coming told them that if they were to ment during the week after the apart and by the looks of the speak, they could not admit to ball-tampering scandal in 2018 – past week, that same dynamic using sandpaper. that the Australian players “did is at hand. It was a strange lie, almost not know a foreign substance There was a lot of advice irrelevant to the issue at hand, was taken on to the field until and panic around the Austra- but they ran with it. we saw the images on the big lian dressing rooms as dark- Remember that at one point screen at Newlands”. ness descended across Cape before this, Bancroft had But that is a very specific ar- Town and the reality of what slipped out to apologise to the gument. had just occurred began to umpires. Lying to them on the Specific honesty. dawn on the parties involved. field had not sat well with him Bowling coach David Saker Management was trying to so he set out to correct that. (pictured) was caught in the work out a strategy to handle In the rooms that night the fog at the time, but seemed to the situation. players were unravelling slow- have found his way clear to a Rejecting warnings that this ly, some were starting to eye better perspective this week. could be dealt with in the the exits. “You could point your fin- morning, Steve Smith and Ball tampering isn’t even a ger at me, you could point your Cameron Bancroft, accompa- major offence. Usman Khawaja during the South African tour in 2018. Picture: Nasief Manie/WP Media finger at Boof (then coach Dar- nied by team manager, Gavin You would be lucky to miss ren Lehmann), could you point Dovey, marched across the a Test match, but you can be it at other people, of course you field to the waiting media. sure that even though they could,” he told The Age. Security manager Frank Di- said those words, it was with- USMAN’S STICKING POINT “The disappointing thing is, masi and communications out any real conviction. it’s never going to go away, re- manager Kate Hutchison were There was a rising sense of gardless of what’s said. with them. panic, shame and anger. PETER LALOR Khawaja’s approach was Certainly, the cultural “We all know that we made Caution was counselled, Long-distance stares and rejected. Who knows what review that followed a monumental mistake. there was no rush, but Smith long silences. USMAN Khawaja told his motivated the batsman? identified something in the “The gravity wasn’t as plain just wanted to deal with it and Teams fracture when the players they were a team and One day he might tell his DNA of the entire until it all came out.” so he marched up the stairs to fight or flight reflexes take over they should handle the storm side of the story, but it is organisation that led Honesty is at hand, but it is explain himself. and you could almost hear this brewing over the ball- reasonable to speculate that Australian cricket to this not quite here yet. He’d owned up straight ship creaking. People were tampering scandal as a team. he’d seen what had ignominious moment. Too much has to be read be- after play to poor practice with eyeing the exits, counting Stick together. Accept the happened when the group Nobody in cricket is keen tween the lines, too much has the DRS in India when Virat heads and counting the num- consequences of Cameron had stuck together during to admit ball tampering to be interpreted. Kohli had implied he was gam- ber of seats on the life raft. Bancroft’s actions as a the MOU dispute. Perhaps he occurs, but it does, and this Maybe it is time to wheel ing the system. It was the right News Corp understands collective. No vote was was driven by a sense that Australian team was pushing out Justin Langer’s “elite hon- approach. It took the sting out that one player read the room, taken, but it is obvious from there is a collective the limits in its desire to get esty” and really rip the Band- of the issue. saw the warning signs and what happened then and responsibility for the place the ball to reverse – just as Aid off on this one. Langer, it Honesty is the best policy counselled a way forward. what is happening now that they found themselves in. the opposition was. should be remembered, had no role in this. He was WA coach at the time. Everyone in that team knew there was “ball management”. IS YOUR GARAGE FLOOR LOOKING LIKE AN ARCHER TO MISS How much they knew or chose to know is debatable. OLD MECHANICAL WORKSHOP? SERIES AFTER OP Cricket Australia waves its Cape Town review around as if ENGLAND fast bowler Jofra against New Zealand. England it’s some sacred text handed Call the Rhino Linings Darwin team on 08 8981 2277 Archer will have elbow surgery would like the Barbados-born down from the gods. or 0438 560 547 to arrange a free onsite quote. in a bid to salvage his hopes of quick bowler back in its attack In it lies the eternal truth, it playing in the Twenty20 during the five-match Test se- says, but what is actually in it Epoxy, polyaspartic & polyurethane ﬂ ooring systems. World Cup and Ashes later ries against India, which starts remains subject to conjecture. A Long term, durable, decorative solution for workshops, this year, cricket chiefs have in August. Not everyone was inter- boats, residential & commercial ﬂ ooring. announced. But its two primary objec- viewed and the world is being Archer’s painful right elbow tives come at the back end of asked to believe the investiga- www.autocarent.com.au/rhino-linings-darwin has been a source of concern the year. tors when they conclude that for the past 18 months and Archer is an established only Steve Smith, Cameron 3 Presley St, Stuart Park medics have decided that an match-winner in the shortest Bancroft and David Warner operation is required. format and would be a certain were guilty of the crime at It is understood that the re- pick for the T20 showpiece in Newlands. covery time could be two to India, starting in October. The events of the past week three months, with the 26- He is also considered a vital have shown that some struggle year-old already ruled out of weapon for the Ashes, which to accept this. next month’s home Test series start in Australia in December. NTNE01Z01MA - V1.

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