ICC Chief takes easy way out to address sandpaper-gate

April3  - The dust seems to have settled over the sandpaper-gate or the ball tampering issue that rocked international cricket last week with the culprits breaking down while admitting their guilt.

Australia's deposed captain Steve Smith and his two accomplices, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, have been punished for attempting to change the condition of the ball during the third Test against South Africa at Cape Town.

All three faced punitive action as laid down in the ICC Code of Conduct. Cricket Australia could not take the shame the disgraceful act has caused, more so after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull insisted on a quick action by Cricket Australia and banned all the three players for varying terms.

Smith and Warner have been banned for a year each and Boncroft for nine months, but it is not clear why the Australians chose to indulge in the heinous act when the series was so well posed at 1-1, having won the first Test so comfortably.

In the end the record book only shows that they lost the four-Test series 1-3. They were outplayed physically and outwitted mentally after the Cap Town incident.

The trio received in equal measure opprobrium, mostly from former cricketers, and sympathy from current lot of international cricketers.

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