As if the action surrounding the on-filed saga of the Ashes wasn’t
enough, the media have also turned on the heat. England pacer James Anderson
has been accused of tampering the ball, a move that is seen as a propaganda of
the Australian media to put the Three Lions under pressure.
England coach Trevor Bayliss insisted that he spoke with the
umpires after the day concluded and he confirmed that they had no complaints
about anything.
"I went to the umpires and there was no problem from
their point of view," Bayliss told BBC Test Match Special.
The coach then went to state that he rushed to the umpires
the moment he saw the headlines of Anderson’s alleged tampering of the ball,
but the umpires ensured him that they had a conversation with captain Joe Root
and were totally fine about it.
"As soon as I saw the headlines I raced to see the
umpires and they said there was nothing to worry about," said Bayliss.
Apparently, Bayliss claimed that Anderson was "cleaning
the ball" and opined that the umpires have no issues with the cleaning of
the ball, but prefer it done in front of them, so that they can ensure that nothing untoward is being done.
Bayliss added: "Kumar said he had no problems with both
sides cleaning the ball, but he'd like them to do in front of the umpires so
they can see nothing untoward is going on.
"There is dirt and mud out there and it does get into
some of the seams and you are allowed to clean it off."
As the rain washed out the end-part of the fourth day, this
Test has been further pushed towards a draw—something that is almost imminent
now—washing away the whitewash hopes of the Australians.