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Further implications

There is a major disjunction or gap between the mythology that surrounds cricket and the way it is now played internationally and within individual countries.
Cricket Australia has stated, ' Cricket is based on values of respect, goodwill, friendship and teamwork'. On December 26, 2016, The New York Times published a comment critical of Australian cricket in which it was claimed, 'Organized sports operate according to a set of commonly agreed rules and values. At their highest level, they represent an ideal version of society: a pure and fair contest between the best athletes a nation can produce.'
Creating that 'pure and fair contest' and ensuring adherence to those values from Australian players and spectators has proved difficult. The behaviour of players and crowds from other nations similarly suggests that the values cricket advocates as central to its public image are frequently not displayed on the field or within the stadium..
Following the Australian ball-tampering incident there have been a number of analyses posted suggesting that altering the ball is a common occurrence in cricket. In an overview published in The Age on March 25, 2018, it was stated that the Bancroft incident 'is the latest in numerous such episodes in the history of the sport.' The article then enumerated five instances of ball tampering in international cricket between 2001 and 2016. Former players have indicated that the practice is more widespread than is generally acknowledged as it often goes undetected. Former Australian text captain Allan Border has stated, ' Australia isn't the first country to be drawn into ball-tampering over the years. and you definitely cannot say every era has been squeaky clean. Look back over the years and players will recall putting (Bryl) cream, lip balm, mints and lollies on the ball to shine up one side and get it to swing more.' Comments such as these suggest that this form of cheating is longstanding and may only now be more often detected because of the quality of television coverage.
Match-fixing is also believed to be a regular risk to the integrity of the sport. An analysis published in The Sydney Morning Herald on December 14, 2017, stated, ' Match-fixing claims have dogged cricket throughout the years, with perhaps the most famous surrounding Hansie Cronje and South African cricket. In 2000, Cronje was charged by Delhi police with fixing one-day matches against India for money.
Cronje denied the charges, which also implicated some of his teammates. But he was sacked just days after his denial, after confessing his dishonesty to the South African board. He acknowledged receiving money for "providing information and forecast but not match-fixing".'
Testimony by current and former players to South Africa's King's Commission later that year revealed that the allegations went back to the mid '90s and encompassed Test cricket as well as one-day matches.
In 1994-95, Australian cricketers Shane Warne and Mark Waugh were given money by a bookmaker in return for pitch and weather information on Australia's tour of Sri Lanka. More recently, scandal hit Pakistan cricket in 2010 when three cricketers were accused of spot-fixing in a Test match at Lord's.
The Pakistan players were banned by the ICC for periods ranging from ten to five years. They were also found guilty by an English court of conspiracy to cheat at gambling and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments.
Former New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent was handed 11 life bans from cricket by the England and Wales Cricket Board after admitting to taking part in match-fixing, while in 2016, former South African opener Alviro Petersen was banned for two years by Cricket South Africa over breaches of the anti-corruption code, in relation to match-fixing during the 2015-16 season of a domestic Twenty20 competition.
Controversies surrounding sledging (the practice of seeking to gain an advantage by insulting or verbally intimidating the opposing player) are too numerous to do more than allude to here. Interestingly the most recent Australian coach, Darren Lehmann, was banned in 2003 for five one-day games, while still a player, for shouting racist obscenities from the dressing room after being bowled out by Sri Lanka. Lehmann was appointed Australian coach in 2013, in part, to lift the culture of Australian cricket. His previous behaviour apparently raised no doubts about his suitability for the role.
Also to be noted is the entrenched bad behaviour of cricket fans. The so-called 'barmy army', vocal British supporters, who follow their team around the world, is notorious for its aggressive, often offensive chants. In the 2018 test series between South Africa and Australia David Warner's wife has been openly abused by fans. The barmy army has had a chant referring to the sexual history of David Warner's wife since the first Ashes test in Brisbane in November 2017. The harassment continued into the current test series with fans wearing masks carrying the features of Candice Warner's partner from a sexual encounter which occurred years before she met and married Warner. David Warner's own history of on- and off-field verbal abuse has been said to have contributed to the abuse he and his family have received.
Behaviour ranging from criminal game-fixing, through cheating to sexist and racist abuse on- and off-field by players and supporters leaves cricket with a very tarnished image. Australia's fans' outrage regarding the ball-tampering incident appears almost naive in this context. The elevated ideals that they appear to associate with the game seem almost wilfully misplaced given the depths to which the game has already fallen.
Cricket Australia has clearly indicated that cheating will not be tolerated. In what appears a consequence of the sordid verbal abuse that has also surrounded the South African-Australian test series Cricket Australia is also considering banning sledging.
It is far too early to see how successful this attempt to clean up the culture of the game within Australia will be.