Review blasts ‘arrogant’ Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia has been described as arrogant and bent on winning at all costs in a review of its culture and governance ordered after the balltampering scandal in South Africa.
The review by Simon Longstaff of the Ethics Centre, released yesterday, said administrators should bear as much blame as captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and batsman Cameron Bancroft, who were suspended for their roles in the incident at Cape Town in March.
The attempt by Bancroft to use sand paper to alter the condition of the ball during the test match, with the knowledge of Smith and Warner, caused “grief” among the Australian public, Longstaff said.
It exposed a dark culture, also manifest in players’ aggressive conduct toward opponents.
Longstaff’s 147-page report, based on interviews with players, sponsors and other stakeholders, said Cricket Australia had consistently failed to live up to its values and principles and a culture of disrespect and bullying ran through the organisation.
“The most common description of CA is as ‘arrogant’ and ‘controlling’,” the report said. “The core complaint is that the organisation does not respect anyone other than its own.
“Players feel that they are treated as commodities. There is a feeling among some state and territory associations that they are patronised while sponsors believe their value is defined solely in transactional terms.”
Longstaff’s findings are couched in unusually powerful terms. He says the grief felt by the Australian public in the wake of the ball tampering affair “was linked to a sense of shame not felt since the days of the perfectly legal, but what some may consider unsporting, under-arm bowling incident, a shame that our society’s ethical malaise had moved from politics to business to the churches.
“Responsibility for that larger picture lies with CA and not just the players held directly responsible for the appalling [Cape Town] incidents.”
Smith, Warner and Bancroft are the only players named in the report. Others, who gave feedback to the author, are anonymous.
“Over recent years, David Warner and Steve Smith have attracted the highest number of code of conduct breaches for international matches,” the review said. “However, in the last two years, both men have been honoured, suggesting that poor behaviour is not considered to be linked to the concept of poor performance.”
Longstaff said stakeholders “expressed deep regret over CA’s tolerance of poor behaviour among elite male cricketers and [its] consistent failure to hold players accountable”.
“A culture of disrespect for the opposition, as seen in the common practice of abusive sledging, runs through Australian domestic and international cricket, to a degree not practised by other nations. There is nothing enjoyable or fraternal about abuse. It is simply crude and brutal.”
The review finds Australian cricket “has lost its balance . . . and has stumbled badly”. “The reputation of the game of cricket, as played by men, has been tainted. Women’s cricket remains unaffected.”
CA has begun to address some of its perceived shortcomings. Chief executive James Sutherland has left after 17 years and high-performance manager Pat Howard won’t extend his contract beyond mid-2019.
New Australia coach Justin Langer and captain Tim Paine are charged with changing the culture within the Australian team.
Longstaff recommends setting up a CA ethics commission and an Australian Cricket Council.
Cricket’s annual awards should take into account behaviour, and performance bonuses should also reflect conduct.