Did Lehmann-Handscomb walkie-talkie conversation lead to ball tampering? Watch video
Cape Town: The clock is ticking and the ban and sacking from the posts of captain, vice-captain and coach is likely for Steve Smith, David Warner and Darren Lehmann (respectively) as Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland has landed in South Africa in the wake of ball-tampering saga during the third South Africa versus Australia Test in Cape Town at Newlands.
While the cricketing world has been in shock, Australian media has not minced words lashing out at the trio of Smith, Lehmann and Cameron Bancroft, who executed the plan on the field on Day three of the penultimate Test of the series.
Although Bancroft has got away with 75 per cent fine from his match fees, the heads are likely to roll as Sutheland set to make a big call.
While we continue to wait about the verdict, here’s how the entire saga played out, with Lehmann and substitute Peter Handscomb, walkie-talkie exchange could be one of the steps in the unfolding of the entire incident.
Plan, as admitted by Steve Smith:
Australia were in all sorts of trouble as Aiden Markram decided to stay put and stretch South Africa’s lead on Day 3 of the Test. With him was AB de Villiers, who engineered South Africa’s win in the second Test and who went on to score a fifty in the second innings at Newlands. Australia were in a game but the Proteas clearly favourites to win. Then, came the lunch break and that’s when, as admitted by Steve Smith later, the plan was discussed.
"The leadership knew about it, we spoke about it at lunch. I'm not proud of what's happened, it's not within the spirit of the game. My integrity, the team's integrity, the leadership groups integrity has come into question and rightfully so. It's certainly not on and it won't happen again, I can promise you that under my leadership,” said Smith.
"We saw this game as such an important game, not that other games aren't important as well, but an opportunity. We've seen the ball reversing quite a lot throughout this series and our ball just didn't look like it was going to go. That's a mistake on our behalf again. It's such poor actions and deeply regrettable and certainly won't happen again under my leadership I can promise you," added Smith.
Bancroft, the executioner:
Bancroft, who is a wicketkeeper-batsman but plays as a frontline batsman in this Australia side as Tim Paine keeps wickets, took an unidentifiable object, which he later admitted to be a yellow tape, to rub the ball. He then takes the object out of his pocket and shoves it inside his underwear.
"I'm not naming names but the leadership group were what talked about it and Bangers (Bancroft) was around at the time and we spoke about it and thought it was a possible way to get an advantage. Obviously it didn't work, the umpires didn't see it change the way the ball was behaving or how it looked or anything like that, so it was a poor choice and deeply regrettable our actions,” added the Australian skipper after he and Bancroft addressed the media following their visit to Match Referee.
Bancroft echoed Smith’s views, saying, "We had a discussion during the break and I saw an opportunity to use some tape, get some granules from rough patches on the wicket to change the ball condition, it didn't work, the umpires didn't change the ball.”
He said that he “was at the wrong at the wrong time” and “panicked” as the cameras showed the footage on the screens in the stadium.
"I was sighted on the screen and that resulted in me shoving it down my trousers. I panicked quite a lot. We had a discussion during the break. On myself I saw an opportunity to use some yellow tape and the granules from the rough patches of the wicket to change the condition of the ball. It didn't work, the umpires didn't change the ball,” said Bancroft.
The Handscomb-Lehmann walkie-talkie exchange:
"No the coaches weren't involved; it was purely the players and the leadership group who came up with this,” said Smith as he denied coach Darren Lehmann and the involvement of the other members of the coaching staff in the entire saga.
However, his statement will be countered as the video footage showed coach Lehmann, who was in the dressing room then, chatting with substitute Handscomb, who was sitting in the team dug-out.
Before the umpires, Nigel Llong and Richard Illingworth could speak with Bancroft, Handscomb ran out onto the field, conveying something to Bancroft and following the two’s chat, Bancroft pushed the yellow tape inside his trouser.
What’s in store for Smith, Lehmann, Warner and the “leadership group”?
While CA chief Sutherland has issued an apology shortly as the row broke out, he will have to make some tough calls. Remember, there are demands Lehmann’s sacking and punishment for Smith and Warner, with a possible 12-month ban and removal from their respective roles of captain and vice-captain of the side.
Watch the video:
