Steve Smith, Darren Lehmann and the whole lack-of-leadership group of this Australian cricket team should be banned for life. Cameron Bancroft can be spared – he was just made the fall guy.
The most shameful aspect of this episode is that Bancroft, the juniormost, was made the fall guy. That’s good “leadership”, Steven Smith.
Darren Lehmann has to go. If he knew about it, then he approved and should go. If he didn’t, then he has no business being coach.
The TV footage is damning: it shows Lehmann speaking to Peter Handscomb who then went out on the field and spoke to Bancroft. After that Bancroft was seen stuffing the incriminating piece of tape down his pants.
All the patriotic journos who played down Smith’s cheating in India should not take a backward step on this one. Else, it will be worse next time…
When Shane Warne was outed as a drug cheat, he got away easy. So too did Mark Waugh and Warne when they were caught tipping off bookies. Somehow one feels that history will repeat.
What makes the cheating all the worse is that it was in response to being on the back foot as far as the game was concerned.
So it could have been influenced by external sources. Had this been a tactic from the start, it would merit a less severe look.
Anybody would have got good odds on Australia winning this Test – and that would have been a possibility had Smith succeeded with his sandpaper plan.
Shame, Australia, shame.