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If it emerges Australian and English batsmen have been using silicone tape, or indeed have applied anything to their bat edges for the sole purpose of fooling the Hot Spot technology within the Decision Review System, the ICC will have little option but to get rid of the infrared tool.
And then it should prepare itself to hand down massive fines and/or suspensions.
Nine News last night reported the bombshell development, with the International Cricket Council said to be investigating the matter.
The development appears to be centred on Kevin Pietersen’s dismissal in England’s second innings of the Third Test at Old Trafford, where he was caught behind to Brad Haddin off Peter Siddle.
Pietersen immediately reviewed the on-field decision to give him out, and though there was a clear noise and the only thing near the ball was Pietersen’s bat, no heat signature appeared on Hot Spot.
That evidence alone was deemed not enough to overturn the decision and original appeal was upheld, much to Pietersen’s visible disgust as he left the field.
During Nine’s coverage of the Test on Monday night, Ian Healy and Brett Lee discussed on air a tweet along these lines from former New South Wales allrounder Dominic Thornley:
@BrettLee_58 fact bat makers have developed a cover on the edges of bats that negate the heat marks on the bat! #hotspotgoodnight
— Dom Thornely (@BigRed_027) August 5, 2013
The suggestion is that by using silicone tape or some compound on the edges of bats, the heat signature generated by the ball taking the edge may be reduced, or even dulled completely.
In Fairfax’s reporting of the story last night as it developed, Chris Barrett and Andrew Wu listed a number of points on how the silicone tape is said to work, including:
“In theory, a bat treated with silicone tape would have a much smoother surface area than a standard bat, so less friction would be generated by a snick, and therefore less heat would be detected.”
This becomes an interesting development personally, too, as only yesterday afternoon I floated a theory of why Hot Spot may not be picking up nicks like in the Pietersen dismissal. Commenting on Cam Rose’s column, I wrote this:
“If you look at KP’s one again, you’ll notice that the seam of the ball is what makes contact with the bat, and not actually the leather. There was another at Trent Bridge – Haddin, I think – that was the same.
“My theory is that in these cases, where the seam makes the contact, the string within the seam is softer than the ‘hard’ leather side of the ball, and so string-on-bat could create a softer noise and even carry a lesser heat characteristic on contact than does leather-on-bat, and thus will make a fainter hot spot, or indeed, no spot at all…”
If, however, it emerges Pietersen and any other player is using something on their bats to fool Hot Spot, then I’ll happily park my theory and remove any benefit of doubt I was giving to players for perhaps not realising they’ve nicked the ball.
If they’re putting something on their bats to dull a heat signature, there’s a fair chance they know they’ve hit the cover off it as well.
And here’s where the ICC needs to get tough.
Listeners of the Cheap Seats podcast will know Ryan O’Connell and I have different views on whether a batsman not walking should be considered a cheat, but in this instance, there can be no doubt.
The application of any tape or compound or substance on the edge of the bat for the sole purpose on fooling Hot Spot can only be considered out-and-out cheating.
If the allegations by Channel Nine are correct, it must be dealt with the same seriousness as anyone who attempts to alter the ball, be that by using a thumbnail, sun cream, dirt, mint saliva, or the good old bottle top.
Hefty fines must be handed down to those found guilty, and lengthy suspensions must be considered too.
It amounts to bringing the game into disrepute of the worst kind.
The problem is going to be in proving the allegations, though. Using tape on bat edges, or applying clear protective adhesive to bat faces, has been going on for 20 years or more.
The difficulty is going to be determining whether something applied to a bat is for the purposes of protection of the bat itself, or for something more sinister.
If the allegations can be proved, the ICC must come down hard on the individuals.
The ICC should also immediately remove Hot Spot from the DRS armoury and no longer allow players to review catches. If they are actively cheating the system, they don’t deserve the benefit of being able to overturn a howler.
The actions of a few mean everyone can just go back to accepting the umpire’s decision in the flesh, just as the actions of a few mean players are drug-tested or they have to hand in their mobile phones during the hours of play.
It’s cheating of the highest order, and the individuals found guilty deserve everything that comes their way.