Victorian bowling coach Mick Lewis has been fined but escaped suspension after pleading guilty to ball tampering on the third day of the Sheffield Shield final.
The former Australian one-day international bowler was slapped with a $2,266 fine – the equivalent of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee – after kicking the ball into the fence and raking it against the concrete gutter following boundary to South Australian opener Mark Cosgrove.
The ball was changed on inspection by umpires Paul Wilson and Mick Martell after another boundary was hit two overs later, with the Redbacks awarded five penalty runs in their second innings.
“Ball tampering is a very serious offence and simply won’t be tolerated at any level of the game,” Cricket Australia head of operations Sean Carey said.
“We acknowledge that he has apologised to the South Australian team and the match officials and hope the matter deters others from doing anything like this in the future.”
The incident also drew the ire of the team’s coach David Saker, according to Cricket Victoria CEO Tony Dodemaide.
“Cricket Victoria does not condone any action to gain an unfair advantage in any form, were committed to playing fair cricket in the spirit of the game,” Dodemaide said.
“Victorian coach David Saker was extremely disappointed in Mick’s actions and also that he cost the side five runs in what could be a very close match.”
It’s not the first time Lewis has drawn the attention of officials for ball tampering.
In 2005 he was the subject of the first video review in Australian domestic cricket after he was captured applying pressure to the ball with his thumbnail during a Shield match against Queensland.
He was issued a warning but escaped without an official charge.
In the same year Saker was cleared of any wrongdoing after an investigation into alleged ball tampering while coaching the Victorian second XI side.
Aaron Finch, who has captained Victoria, was fined for ball tampering while playing a Shield match in 2010.
The Redbacks were also at the centre of a similar controversy in 2014, when then-captain Johan Botha was banned for one match for altering the condition of the ball in a game against NSW.
Former South Australian and Australian batsman Greg Blewett labelled the Lewis incident a “disgrace” on Twitter on Monday, while former teammate Jason Gillespie also let rip.
“Very poor from anyone let alone a member of the support staff,” he tweeted.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Mick Lewis seems like a bit of a loose cannon...he reportedly put an opponent in a headlock at a club game 2 years ago. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/cricket/exaustralian-player-mick-lewis-claimed-to-have-put-opponent-in-headlock/story-fni2fomk-1226788499901 On a tangent...in that famous 438 ODI against South Africa, when Lewis went for 0-113 off his 10 overs, I've always wondered why the hell Ponting got Lewis to bowl his full 10 overs? After 8 overs he had 0-88 and Ponting still had his best bowler Lee with plenty of overs left to bowl. Instead Ponting gave Lewis another two overs and left Lee two overs short of bowling his 10. Bizarre.
Boonah is not The Bush!
Guest
Sheesh, we used to use Zinc cream to great effect when I was playing. You didn't just whack it on your hooter you'd spread a decent layer on your whites where you'd polish the ball. Kept it swinging all day in the right conditions.
Don Freo
Guest
Very much in the Victorian spirit of "arranging" things. Stevic in the AFL GF, gifted 6 points against NSW earlier this season and now a penalty free tampering charge. They didn't earn the 2nd position on their merits anyway. Surely if NSW's penalty earlier this year was a forfeit by NSW, that should be the judgement now, too. If they want to stop it, disqualify Victoria. SA is the moral victor regardless of tomorrow's finish.
mds1970
Roar Guru
I don't know if anyone knows, or how one would find out. But I'm wondering if this is the first time in first class cricket that penalty runs have been applied for the actions of an official rather than a player. Law 42.3(b) clearly allows for it, with the use of the term "anyone" rather than "any fielder" as is used in 42.3(a). But I can't think of any other instances where it's been applied to a non-player.
Maggie
Guest
This was a disgraceful incident and the "penalties" nothing but a tickle on the wrist. Should have been a 100 run penalty against the Victorians and Lewis should lose his job. The only message these penalties send is "next time make sure you can't be seen by the video camera". It looks as if Victoria will win the match and the Shield, but it will be a win sullied by this incident. And following on from their gamesmanship which led to the abandonment of a match against NSW last year and the awarding of all six points to Victoria. "Bushrangers" by name and by nature.