Bat tampering has become hard to swallow

Published Dec 8, 2016

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I enjoy watching cricket but I do think it’s a very stupid sport sometimes.

Nothing has been as stupid as this furore over Faf du Plessis shining the ball in the Hobart Test recently.

And now into the fray comes the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Committee, who stated on Wednesday that Du Plessis “flagrantly contravened

the law”.

The trouble is the law isn’t very clear and, more importantly, how on earth do you go about policing it? The MCC committee wasn’t very helpful on that score.

“To try to be too prescriptive by listing banned substances would be counter-productive, as something will be missed in the process of such drafting,” it said in a statement.

I’m not for scratching the ball with a bottle top or even finger nails, I am for throwing the ball in from the boundary bouncing it on the square to rough up one side. And given that sugary saliva is common these days because players consume sweets, enjoy energy drinks and chew gum, if you’re shining the ball using saliva, then something will get on the ball.

I tell you what I do have a problem with and it is something that the MCC Committee raised and that is the size of bats these days. Administrators have concerns about ball tampering, but bats have been tampered with for years - fundamentally changing the game. Miss hits fly for six and edges are so thick these days, you could even face the bowler using it.

The MCC Committee allowed bat tampering to happen and then on Wednesday said there needs to be limits put on bat sizes. To me that has a far greater affect on the game than sugary saliva.

And policing players means ensuring they drink water after every interval and that drinks breaks means players can consume water only. That all seems a bit ridiculous.

If players are going to be allowed to eat sweets while on the field then there is every chance that some residue will end up on the ball.

And why not allow a bit of that given the way bats have become so dominant in the modern game.

Du Plessis’ appeal will be heard on December 19, and given that the International Cricket Council need to be seen enforcing the law, he will most likely face a ban. It is a ridiculous outcome to a very stupid episode that does nothing to help broaden cricket’s appeal.

The Star

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