The ghost of ball tampering has once again resurfaced to tarnish the image of the gentleman’s game. Ironically, this time, the scandal has hit the prestigious final of the Australia's domestic cricket competition which is famously known as the Sheffield Shield.
The Victoria Bushrangers bowling coach Mick Lewis has been fined more than Australian $2000 for allegedly tinkering with the condition of the ball. The television replays caught Lewis dipping the ball into a gutter before rubbing it on concrete in the all-important Sheffield Shield final. The incident took place on the third day of the match and the accused team was penalised five runs.
The former Australian one-day international bowler Lewis pleaded guilty to the charge on Monday and was fined an amount which is almost equivalent to 50% of a player’s match fee. Lewis played 7 ODIs for Australia and made his debut in 2005 against New Zealand in Wellington.
Ball tampering is a very serious offence
In the 10th over of the South Australia’s second innings when Mark Cosgrove struck a boundary, a Cricket Australia video camera captured Lewis kicking the match ball into the gutter beyond the boundary rope and scrubbing it on concrete before he retrieved the ball.
"Ball tampering is a very serious offence and simply won't be tolerated at any level of the game," CA head of cricket operations Sean Cary said. The match referee Steve Bernard addressed the matter and spoke to Lewis about it before declaring it the subsequent penalty.
The officials of the Victoria cricket team were also not happy with the incident and Cricket Victoria chief executive Tony Dodemaide clearly cautioned Mick Lewis for his blasphemous action. He said, "Cricket Victoria does not condone any action to gain an unfair advantage in any form, we're committed to playing fair cricket in the spirit of the game.”
He also said that Lewis would be in serious trouble if he broke the law again.
The Victorian coach David Saker too was extremely disappointed in Mick’s actions and he also rued the fact that his side had to concede 5 valuable runs for the mishap.
The game of cricket has seen many infamous incidents related to ball tampering in the past and even the Australian players were accused of it. In a tantalizing claim by the Sri Lankan cricketers, it was believed that the Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle deliberately tampered the ball during the Hobart Test Match between Sri Lanka and Australia in 2012.
However, the Sri Lankan team management didn’t make any official complaint and the issue got resolved afterward.
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