26 Established 1961 Sports Wednesday, October 31, 2018 Luminaries call for Cricket Australia chairman to resign ‘It’s not a hiccup, it’s much more than that’ SYDNEY: Pressure was building on Cricket Australia gets re-appointed as chair last wk, 3 days before release chairman David Peever to resign yesterday in the wake of damning report? #PeeverShouldResign.” of the release of a scathing independent review into the With the review also suggesting that the culture CA culture of the game. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd fostered had contributed to the ball-tampering scandal, and former ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed were there were calls for the suspensions imposed on Steve among those calling for him to be replaced after Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft to be lifted. Monday’s release of the review commissioned in the Speed suggested that former Australia test captain wake of March’s ball-tampering scandal. and Cricket Australia board member Mark Taylor would The report said the governing body was perceived as fit the bill as chairman in place of Peever. “I’d like to see “arrogant” and “controlling” and treated its elite players Mark Taylor stand up as chairman of Cricket Australia,” like commodities, allowing “alpha-male” egos to develop he said. a win-at-all-costs approach. “David is the first to have come out of the corporate Peever, who was awarded a second five-year term last world rather than out of the cricket world and I think in week, embarked on a series of media interviews defend- this crisis that’s what’s shown here,” Speed added. “It’s ing the leadership of Cricket Australia on Monday, good to see some diversity on the board - some women, including one in which he described the ball-tampering some people who aren’t from the cricket family so to incident as a “hiccup”. speak - but I think that’s missing at the moment, that the Speed said that interview had convinced him that the dyed-in-the-wool cricket people need to stand up and former mining executive was not the right man to take take back their sport.” Cricket Australia forward and that somebody with a Peever was also faced with blanket condemnation in background in the game needed to take over. the pages of Australia’s newspapers on Tuesday, the main “It’s not a hiccup, it’s much more than that,” Speed, charge being that he had extended his reign as chairman who was chief executive of the Australian cricket board after the ball-tampering scandal while heads around him from 1997 until 2001 before serving a similar role at the rolled. Former captain and vice-captain Smith and global governing body, told ABC radio. Warner are serving one-year bans, former coach Darren “My response when I saw that interview and I saw Lehmann and chief executive James Sutherland have that comment, I thought Australian cricket can do better since stood down, while high performance chief Pat in choosing its chairman and the game deserves better Howard has announced his departure. governance.” Former Prime Minister Rudd joined a In The Australian newspaper, cricket writer Gideon growing chorus of discontent at Peever’s reaction to the Haigh pinpointed a line in the review that spoke of peo- MELBOURNE: Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) president Greg Dyer (L) and CEO Alistair Nicholson (R) review on social media, posting his comments on Twitter. ple in leadership roles having to take responsibility for leave a press conference in Melbourne yesterday. The Australian Cricketers’ Association yesterday renewed calls “So let’s get this straight,” he wrote. “Cricket Australia, matters “over which they do not exercise direct control”. to reduce the sentences of players involved in the ball-tampering scandal, as pressure mounts on Cricket under David Peever, has overseen the destruction of the “David Peever is lost,” he wrote. “Cricket needs to Australia chairman David Peever after a damning review of the governing body. — AFP (international) image of our national game. “But Peever find another guide.” — Reuters ‘Intelligent’ Rayudu promises to end India’s ‘Let them play’, union leads No 4 woes calls for end to Smith, NEW DELHI: Rohit Sharma struck yet another Warner bans ‘daddy hundred’ but it was probably Ambati Rayudu’s relatively modest century on Monday SYDNEY: The Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) called yes- which pleased India captain Virat Kohli more as terday for the immediate lifting of lengthy bans imposed on Steve he seeks an end to a pesky problem seven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft after the release of a months before next year’s World Cup. scathing report into the culture of Australian cricket. An undercooked middle order has been the Among the findings, the review released on Monday said that to direct result of having an in-form trio - Rohit, view the ball-tampering scandal which led to the bans as “the failure Shikhar Dhawan and Kohli - at the top of India’s of a handful of players” would be a mistake. batting order of late. Smith and Warner are seven months into one-year bans, while The problem has been acute at number four Bancroft will be eligible to return in December after his suspension with Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Lokesh for attempting to tamper with the ball during a test against South Rahul and Dinesh Karthik being trialled at the Africa in Cape Town in March. crucial spot and found inadequate. Greg Dyer, the head of the Australian players’ union, said all three Rayudu’s second 50-plus score in four match- players had been punished enough. “Given there is now independent es against West Indies has filled Kohli with opti- verification that CA’s system and culture were contributory factors, mism he may not need to fret over the issue any- the ACA calls for the lifting of the board-imposed penalties on Steve more. “Rayudu has taken his opportunity with Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft,” ACA chief Dyer told a both hands,” Kohli said after the team’s victory in news conference in Melbourne. the fourth one-dayer against West Indies in “The players have already lost time in the game, lost chances to Mumbai. play for Australia, endured public humiliation and faced massive “We need to back him till the World Cup and Ambati Rayudu financial penalties. “My message to Cricket Australia is this: these give him more confidence. He is feeling good contrite men have suffered enough. Let them play.” about his game and he is a very confident man.” Cricket Australia (CA) Chairman David Peever, in his reaction to Rayudu exhibited both sides of his batting in also reached the 50 and 100 marks in fewer balls Monday, to play according to the situation. “I the review on Monday, made it clear that the board had handed out his 211-run stand with Rohit on Monday, first than his partner. “He reads the game really well, think it’s a very important knock,” the India vice- the sanctions after “full and thoughtful process” and that they would playing second fiddle to his partner and then so we are happy that someone with intelligence is captain said of the 33-year-old. remain in place. using the long handle to good effect in his bril- batting at number four,” Kohli said. “Hopefully he has solved all the mysteries of Former Australia coach Darren Lehmann, who stood down in the liantly paced knock of 100. Rohit was equally impressed with the ability of number four. I guess till the World Cup, there wake of the scandal, also joined calls to have the bans set aside and In the end, he matched Rohit’s four sixes and Rayudu, who registered his third ODI century on won’t be any talk of number four.” — Reuters allow the trio to return to state and international cricket. “I think they should be back but it’s up to the board to make that decision, not me,” Lehmann told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I think the general feeling around Australia, certainly the people I talk to, is they want them playing again, at worst domestic cricket. Mirza, Malik “Now the findings have come down they should be reviewing the sanctions on the three players.” While Lehmann’s view of the mood of the Australian public might be reflective of the “bubble” the review welcome baby boy said surrounded top players, test greats Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Doug Walters have also called for a reduction to the bans. NEW DELHI: Indian tennis star Sania Mirza Test paceman Josh Hazlewood said on Monday the players has given birth to a baby boy, her Pakistani would like to see former captain Smith, vice-captain Warner and cricketer husband Shoaib Malik said yester- batsman Bancroft back on the field. “We’d love to see the guys day, prompting a flood of congratulatory back playing as soon as possible. That’s not really our decision,” he messages on social media. told a news conference. “The bans have been handed down and the “Excited to announce: It’s a boy, and my boys have copped them, as you’d expect. That’s really out of our girl is doing great and keeping strong as usu- hands, as players.” — Reuters al #Alhumdulilah. Thank you for the wishes and Duas, we are humbled. #BabyMirzaMalik,” Malik tweeted. Mirza and Malik enjoy a high profile owing to their suc- cessful sports careers and their unusual mar- riage straddling the border of nuclear-armed Belgian club postpones match rivals India and Pakistan. “It’s a boyyyy!!!!” Mirza’s younger sister, Anam Mirza, wrote on Instagram.