It’s just not cricket

IF THERE is a silver lining to the Australian Cricket Team cheating fiasco it is the firm stance taken by the public in response.

Australians love sport and we love winning at sport — sometimes to a fault.

Our international sporting reputation for ferocious competitiveness is tarnished by a view we sometimes chase the result too hard, not caring enough how we get there.

This view can be compounded by brash young athletes who have all the temper and attitude of, for instance, a young John McEnroe but without the staying power, underlying discipline or skill.

Almost all of us would be guilty of keeping ‘two sets of books’ when it comes to our bias and passion for our team — whether it be the elite national team or the under-12s.

When the other team bends the rules it’s an outrage but when our team does it the referee or umpire is being overly officious or has simply called it wrong.

But in the wake of our worst cricket cheating scandal there are redemptive signs.

The public has not insisted on just wanting a victory at all costs.

They have not taken a ruthlessly pragmatic approach of ‘let’s just keep our best line-up together on the national stage’.

Instead we are in the process of doing the principled thing and demanding that those involved are given an adequate penalty.

So as bad as this ball tampering episode is — and it is very bad — it is not without its redemptive effects.

For one, we are sending our children the right message: That there are consequences for cheating.

Cheats may prosper in other areas of life. But we are saying in sport, where we play out so much of our moral codes, they will not.

We should take our lumps, accede to the right penalties, and start the long process of rebuilding a good national team — but one that acts with honour.

Continued victory without honour in the sporting arena would be no victory at all.