BREAKING: Australia Admits To Ball Tampering, Bancroft Charged

Steve Smith has apologised.


Article heading image for BREAKING: Australia Admits To Ball Tampering, Bancroft Charged

(Cricket Australia/Fox Sports)

The third test in South Africa has been rocked by revelations Australia's leadership group hatched a plan to tamper with the ball.

Western Australian Cameron Bancroft was summoned for a chat after he was caught on camera putting something suspicious in his pants at Cape Town.

He's been charged with a Level 2 offence of attempting to alter the condition of the ball. 

"I saw an opportunity to potentially use some tape, get some granules from the tough patches on the wicket and tried to change the ball condition," a visibly distressed Bancroft told reporters afterwards. 

"I'm not proud of what's happened and I have to live with the consequences and the damage to my own reputation that comes with [it]." 

Captain Steve Smith admitted senior players devised the plan but rejected any suggestion he would stand down.

"Obviously, today was a big mistake on my behalf and on the leadership group's behalf as well," he told reporters in Cape Town. 

"But I take responsibility as the captain, I need to take control of the ship, but this is certainly something I'm not proud of and something that I can hope learn from and come back strong from.

"I am embarrassed to be sitting here talking about this. We'll move past this. It's a big error in judgement but we'll learn from it and move past it."

Post
Post

More to come.

 

24 March 2018




Listen Live!
Up Next