Tamper tantrums amid gloom
Critics’ attack totally unfair says coach
UMPIRES have cautioned England over the methods it used to quickly attain reverse swing at the MCG yesterday — but the fourth Test match referee is satisfied Jimmy Anderson did nothing illegal while cleaning the ball. Footage emerged yesterday of Anderson working on the ball with his thumb before rain stopped play on day four.
ENGLAND coach Trevor Bayliss launched a broadside at a bunch of former Australian Test greats after TV cameras caught seamer Jimmy Anderson taking his thumb to the ball on a day of drama at the MCG.
The umpires were forced to intervene in the opening session after the English players continually threw the ball into the pitch from the outfield in a bid to rough it up and reverse swing their way to victory.
Umpires Sundaram Ravi and Kumar Dharmasena spoke to England skipper Joe Root after a throw from Stuart Broad bounced short of wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow proved one time too many, and there was another conversation during the drinks break. Anderson was also filmed by TV cameras using his thumbnail on the ball in a way that Aussie legend Shane Warne said was a “no-no”.
“You don’t want to see nails going through the ball,” Warne said during the broadcast.
“It’s just one of those things, they’ve got it to go reverse pretty quickly out there and when they do it’s difficult to play.”
Former Test quick Mitchell Johnson also weighed in on Twitter, surprised the tourists were getting the ball reverse swinging inside the opening 10 overs of the Australian second innings, after which Cameron Bancroft and Usman Khawaja were both dismissed. Former Aussie batsman Mike Hussey also said the images of Anderson using his thumb were “not a good look”.
“I know there’s a lot of tactics, but there’s a bit of a line there that you shouldn’t cross in picking the seam of the ball and things like that,” Hussey told cricket.com.au.
Match officials confirmed, after rain ended play early, that both teams had been warned by the umpires for trying to scuff up the ball while fielding. But they made no issue of Anderson’s work.
Bayliss, who went straight to the umpires after the game when he saw allegations aired on TV, declared his veteran quick was simply “cleaning” the ball and gave the commentators a clip for good measure.
“I didn’t hear what they said. They were players once too. That’s all I’ll say,” Bayliss said.
“You are allowed to clean the ball. And Kumar [umpire Kumar Dhar- masena] did say to our guys he’d like to see them doing it in front of him, so he could see there was nothing untoward going on.
“There was a bit of dirt and mud on the outfield and it does get on the ball, and in some of the seams, and you are allowed to clean it off.
“Watching the footage [of Anderson] and I did see it, if he was scratching it he was scratching the wrong side to go reverse. I’m quite sure that wasn’t the case.”
Anderson is the man in charge of ball maintenance for England, a role once held by former international Ravi Bopara who was twice accused of altering the ball.
Bayliss said “every team in world cricket” used the tactic of throwing the ball into the pitch, and its surrounding areas, to try to rough it up and get the ball reverse swinging on lifeless wickets such as the MCG.
“The umpires spoke to both captains during this game about throwing the ball into the rough areas,” Bayliss said. “The umpires don’t want it to go overboard and both teams have taken that on board.”
Aussie all-rounder Mitch Marsh said he had seen nothing “inappropriate” from either team in the game.