Most of us can probably recall standing in front of our mum and and dad, in trouble and being scolded after doing something rather stupid in our youthful years.
No doubt we were all often caught out, embarrassingly at times, with our parents being a little too cluey and having a little too much nous for us to get away with what were dopey indiscretions that only the minds of children could even dream of getting away with.
After the dressing down, punishment and an insistence that the action should never be repeated, many of us were probably asked questions like, “Is there anything else we need to know?” or “What else do you need to tell us?”
Such questions were designed to give us the opportunity to clean the slate and start afresh, rather than be dragged over the coals in the future when the extra details were discovered.
Such is the case with the Australian cricket team, one caught cheating in South Africa at Newlands in March of 2018, when Cameron Bancroft was filmed using a hidden material on the ball, in an attempt to make it more ‘active’ for his bowlers.
Now, nearly five years later, the story seems old and one that should be well and truly dead and buried.
Captain Steve Smith took a reputational whack and a 12-month playing and leadership ban, Bancroft was punished as the soldier ordered to enact the crime and David Warner took the most significant hit of all: out of cricket for a calendar year and “not be considered for team leadership positions ever again”.
Sadly, the saga continues, based on the simple fact that recent events suggest nothing like the whole truth around the most shameful event in Australian cricket has ever been revealed.
Warner’s punishment came off the back of a perception that he was the instigator, the ‘genius’ behind the operation and that, under pressure to belong, Bancroft followed orders, with Smith weak in captaincy and not possessing the fortitude to call out something that was most likely to end in tears.
Yet now, with Warner’s decision to withdraw his request to have a career-long leadership ban overturned for fear of the effect it may have on his family, and his manager James Erskine’s explosive statements across the last 36 hours, it is obvious there is a whole lot more to the story than Cricket Australia and the playing squad themselves would like to have us know.
Erskine’s categorical statements that “the truth will come out” and that people would have to be blind to not realise that “there was far more than three people involved in this thing” raise an interesting question: why did his client not provide a full and accurate account of what took place at Newlands when he was granted the opportunity by Cricket Australia during its hastily held investigation in late March of 2018?
David Warner. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Moreover, if Erskine is such an advocate for the truth, why did his man not practice transparency throughout the entire saga? Warner and his wife Candice’s rather clumsy attempts to garner some sympathy earlier in the week seem to avoid the now ever-growing reality that the truth behind Sandpapergate is still yet to be fully revealed.
That filters out to Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft who, should Erskine’s claims prove correct, have also withheld information in regards to who organised, or at least harboured knowledge of the cheating undertaken by a team so desperate for victory, that a sense of fair play was simply thrown out the window.
Frankly, it appears that nobody told the complete truth and perhaps, as Tom Cruise once said, they simply could not handle it.
The claim that CA executives entered an Australian dressing room in Hobart some two years earlier and promoted such a lawless approach to cricket is simply astonishing and Erskine’s use of it as some sort of reason or justification for the actions of the players at Newlands is yet to be substantiated.
It seems likely that Warner has simply had enough and will now walk away from the Test arena as the petulant child he has so often become thanks to his own poor decisions. Rumours of a book that reveals the ‘truth’ behind all that played out do not seem too far-fetched.
However, no matter how more explosive or revealing any subsequent Sandpapergate details may be, it might be best for us all to remember that after cheating, David Warner’s manager has openly admitted that his client did not tell Cricket Australia ‘everything’ that he should have.
True remorse and sorrow would have seen him and others do so.
Hensteeth
Roar Rookie
Two observations. Firstly using "Warner" & "genius" in the same sentence is contradictory. Secondly. Smith's initial comment prior to turning on the crocodile tears was "the leadership group knew about it'". He also referred to Davey as "our attack dog". Was the coach privy to the "plan''?
Heyou
Roar Rookie
I am just starting to enjoy my cricket again after the ballsup stuff. CA won’t let it go. Warner maybe should bow out or bow down and get on with playing with some consistency for Australia. Maybe CA could do with a complete clean out. Good cricket without the constant harping back to the sadly unforgettable scandal is what I’m hoping for but I don’t know if CA can just get with that program. There will be books so there will be more on the ballsup no doubt. Very frustrating. It’s a shame about the shameful past coming back to haunt… as with the underarm bowl. :unhappy:
BlouBul
Roar Rookie
Because Aussie cricket think and behave like they holier than thou.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
because cricket Aus and aus media went totally overboard with sanctions and shaming . we have the most PC cricket board who cover their own tracks and don't step up properly when required . the other cricket boards protect their players and media doesn't jump on them . Aussie do gooder culture and benign cya corporate culture in afraid
Rass Putin
Guest
More likely he is protecting CA to keep his job. Tell the truth about government and you probably disappear , at any rate your life turns to garbage. Tell the truth about a judge, any judge, and you can book a lengthy and unpleasant stay at any of our worst prisons...... except most are now considered 3 star hotels or better. lol
Rass Putin
Guest
Who says that CA do not already know what has not been reported or talked about ? If the Hobart story is true and correct, then CA probably knew about “sandpapergate” before it even happened. Now someone please tell me...... When the South African captain is caught using boiled lollies to tamper and cheat, many English test captains have been filmed doing the same and last Pakistan captains have admitted that all teams use bottle tops or similar to cheat...... why is Australia the ONLY team and players to be penalised and BRANDED for it ? Why are the English, South African and Pakistan test teams and captains allowed to cheat, but we are NOT ?
Kevin
Guest
Our maybe he was just protecting the bowlers who, one suspects, must have known what was going on.
Brian Sewell
Guest
Any bowlers in that sandpapergate team would have known. Every bowler looks at the ball before bowling a ball could it suddenly get roughed up and they not know, no way! I said at the time they must have known, this confirms it, so comedown CA come clean and forgone tell the truth.
jeznez
Roar Guru
Head of nail, meet hammer. Spot on Bushy.
Choppy Zezers
Roar Rookie
Daviarno Warnaldo
Copacetic51
Guest
You seem quite interested in the SBW-Candace thing. Tell us more.
ColinT
Roar Rookie
I am so over all of this sanctimonious hypocrisy and outrage. YES, using bottle caps, lollies, gravel, sandpaper and other substances to tamper with the ball in order to induce reverse swing may be commonly practiced by most test teams, but it IS definitely against the ICC rules and should be penalised by the ICC. The ICC is the governing body and they did duly impose a penalty on Warner. Australia should have respected the ICC decision and let it rest at that. But NO, we are so arrogant and sanctimonious that we want to show our superiority to other test nations and impose life bans. Where was the Australian outrage when the Barmy Army were taunting Warner at the MCG, with their disgusting and racist slurs about Candice Warner and Sonny Boy Williams. I was sitting nearby and heard it all. And then there were the spectators wearing the Sonny Boy Williams masks! And what was so wrong about Candice and Sonny Boy that would incite this disgusting behaviour anyway?? Could it be because she is a white woman and he is a man of colour!! I wonder how many of the rapid Warner critics secretly share those views deep within their hearts??
Graeme Evans
Guest
It was Jack Nicholson who said you can’t handle the truth , not Tom Cruise. I think the public expected lifetime bans for Bancroft and Warner and no leadership role ever again for Smith.
Big Daddy
Roar Rookie
I believe Erskine was not Warner's manager when the events in SA happened , so if we are to believe Erskine only 1 player could have told him and if that's the case they were lying then and more are involved .
redbackfan
Roar Rookie
Didn't the "bowling group" volunteer a statement after someone, (Bancroft?I can't remember for certain) implicated them (or others)? I am not sure but I think that's how their statement came about)
Marty
Roar Rookie
Agree that it’s been going on forever however the difference/problem for this bowling group is they were asked directly and denied. So if, as many suspect, they are telling fibs then the issue will not be ball tampering, it will be lying about it.
Gags
Roar Rookie
Poor Davey. Premeditated cheating, but not man enough to carry it out himself. Wants us to feel sorry for him (he’s the victim right?) but won’t fess up to tell the truth even after the chance to do so. Not like this is his only blemish either. I’m sick of him sulling the name, integrity, and reputation of the Australian cricket team. Time for CA to have a “no dickheads” selection policy. Time for Davey to go make his millions in the IPL and the like and leave Australian cricket the better for his absence
Monorchid
Roar Rookie
Whether what Erskine said is true or not, or whether cricket executives told the team to tamper with the ball, is beside the point. The players are adults, and they could have chosen not to cheat. But at least some of them did make that choice. Of course, continued losses could have seen more players dropped, and TV moguls might have been worried about a drop in ratings. So two things drove sandpapergate. Fear and greed.
badmanners
Roar Rookie
I think it will continue until the all the players involved retire or we have a proper "no holds barred" enquiry with no penalties for the players and officials testimony so they can all give their full knowledge of what led to sandpapergate and what went down.
The Bush
Roar Guru
I actually believe what Warner is saying, it wouldn’t surprise me to find out that CA officials said this. To think that the win at all costs attitude didn’t permeate through the whole organisation is naive. I also think everyone already believes that the entire team was aware of the ball tampering the side was up to. I don’t think they all knew about the sandpaper, that seems like a particular incident, but they all knew Warner and his “bandage” hands was responsible for working the ball. Every team does or did it and has a player like that. The question is, at this point, does it matter? Will we dish out punishments to the players for things they did half a decade ago? Even if all they did was “know”?