5 instances of ball tampering in Test cricket
Ball tampering, by the rules of ICC which means, unlawful alteration of the surface or seam of a ball on the field, to affect its motion when bowled. The issue has suddenly become the grist for the gossip mill after Aussie batsman Cameron Bancroft tried to alter the condition of the ball during the third day of the third test against South Africa.
Here are 5 instances of ball-tampering including the aforementioned one.
#1 Michael Atherton in 1994
The infamous "dirt in pocket" affair, where then England captain Michael Atherton was accused of ball tampering during a Test match against South Africa at Lord's in 1994. He was shown reaching into his pocket and then rubbing a substance on the ball.
However, Atherton denied ball tampering, claiming that he had dirt in his pocket which he used to dry his hands but he failed to disclose the dirt to the match referee. As a result, he was fined £2,000 albeit he was eventually not charged for tampering with the ball.
Although there were calls for the batsman to step down from captaincy following that incident, England remained under his stewardship for four more years.
#2 Sachin Tendulkar in 2001
In the second Test match of India's 2001 tour of South Africa, at Port Elizabeth, television footage suggested that Sachin Tendulkar tried to tamper with the ball by scuffing the seam of it. Match referee Mike Denness suspended Sachin for one game in light of the allegations.
The Indian batting great, however, claimed he was actually just removing the piece of grass stuck in the seam of the ball. The incident led to Denness being barred from entering the venue of the third test match.
The International Cricket Council [ICC] revoked the status of the match as a Test as the teams rejected the appointed referee. ICC later cleared Tendulkar of ball tampering charges.
#3 Pakistan cricket team in 2006
This happened when Pakistan became the first team in 129 years of Test cricket and 1,814 matches to forfeit a match, after being punished for ball tampering. Umpires, Australian Darrell Hair and West Indian Billy Doctrove, had docked five runs from Pakistan’s total as they were accused of damaging the ball and a new ball had been brought in.
Pakistan seemingly accepted the decision on the ground but later protested and did not come out to play after the game got interrupted due to bad light.
Darrell Hair dramatically called the game off by removing the bails and awarded the match to England. However, Pakistan were later cleared of ball-tampering by the ICC, with the governing body also controversially changing the result of the match to a draw.
#4 Australia vs South Africa, 2016
South Africa skipper Francois du Plessis was charged with alleged ball tampering on 18 November 2016 after their victory in the second Test against Australia in Hobart. TV footage appeared to show him applying saliva onto the ball from a mint or a lollipop.
The charge was made by the ICC although Cricket Australia did not file a complaint. Du Plessis was found guilty of ball tampering on 22 November and fined 100 percent of his match fee from the second Test.
The same player was charged with the same issue back in 2013 after he scuffed the ball against the zip on his trousers third day of the 2nd Test against Pakistan, in Dubai.
The on-field umpires penalized South Africa by adding 5 runs to Pakistan's total and changing the ball. The match referee imposed a 50 percent match fee fine on du Plessis after the fielder pleaded guilty.
#5 Australia vs South Africa, 2018
Australian batsman, Cameron Bancroft was charged with alleged ball tampering on day-3 of the third Test against South Africa. He was shown rubbing and then concealing a suspicious yellow object on the ball and when asked about that object by the umpires, he produced a black cover of his sunglasses from his pocket. The umpires did not add 5 runs to South Africa's total, neither did they change the ball.
However, Captain Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft accepted the ball tampering allegation in a public confession. The opening batsman admitted that he became nervous after being shown on the screen and slid the tape into his trousers.
Smith and vice-captain David Warner stood down from team leadership following the incident and wicketkeeper Tim Paine took over the captaincy for the rest of the test match.
Steve Smith was handed a one-match ban by the ICC and was fined 100% of his match fee whereas Bancroft was fined 75% of his match fee.
