Tears and sympathy: Support grows for Steve Smith after ban
SYDNEY: A wave of sympathy for Australia skipper Steve Smith gathered pace on Friday after his heart-wrenching apology and as opposition grew to the severity of bans handed out in a ball-tampering scandal. Smith’s tearful appearance in front of media prompted calls to rein in criticism which has verged on hysterical during an extraordinary week for Australian cricket.
“Dear Australia, that’s enough now,” ran a headline in British newspaper The Times. “This was ball-tampering, not murder.”
Australia’s leg-spin great Shane Warne wrote in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph: “We are all so hurt and angry and maybe we weren’t so sure how to react. We’d just never seen it before.
“But the jump to hysteria is something that has elevated the offence beyond what they actually did, and maybe we’re at a point where the punishment just might not fit the crime.”
Former Australia coach Mickey Arthur said he felt “desperately sorry” for Smith, whose career as the world’s top batsman will now be put on hold.
“I know he eats, sleeps and drinks cricket,” said Arthur, who now coaches Pakistan.
“He loves cricket and everything he did. He loved the job, he was passionate about the job. I think he was a very good leader and an unbelievable cricketer.”
However, Arthur wondered whether there would be a way back for Warner, who has been blamed for hatching the plot.
“I definitely see the return of Smith, without a doubt. He will be there, he will serve his time, he will train hard and he will come back stronger,” Arthur said.
“Davey Warner, I am not a hundred percent sure.”
The South African tried to address Australia’s culture when he banned four players for failing to complete a “homework” assignment, but then fell out with Cricket Australia. “I have been disappointed at the behaviour of the Australian team over a last couple of years. I think that they felt they are almost above everybody else.”
Meanwhile, the Australian Cricketers’ Association voiced concern over the welfare of the players, and argued that the sanctions were disproportionate compared to other sanctions for balltampering. “There are a number of glaring and clear anomalies in the process to date which causes the ACA to query the severity and proportionality of the proposed sanctions,” a statement said.