For non-cricket fans, you are probably not going to have heard of this so let me give you my best summary of what happened.
In cricket, you are allowed to shine the ball to allow it to move in the air when it is bowled (pitched) to the batsman. When the ball gets older it then can reverse swing (please don't ask). Have a look at the video below which will give you a better idea of what it is.
In this saga, there were three protagonists. They were Steve Smith, the Australian captain, David Warner, the Australian vice-captain and Cameron Bancroft, a new guy in the team that from memory was playing his 8th test match.
Basically, the three people just mentioned, cooked up a plan to get an advantage over the opposition by altering the state of the ball. It is called ball tampering and it is illegal and considered cheating in the world of cricket.
From what I can understand from this story, Warner asked Bancroft to use sandpaper on the ball, this with the permission of Smith the captain. Teams have been doing this for years but through extenuating circumstances this whole thing was made into something that was a lot bigger than what it would normally be.
Basically, the Australians would be considered the bully boys of international cricket. They play the game hard and they always want to win. (So far, so good, right?) However, like most bullies, they like to dish it out but some in particular don't like it when it is given back to them. They tell the opposition that they have crossed the line even though, to paraphrase Joey Tribbiani from Friends, "You are so past the line. The line is a dot to you."
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So what happened in the dressing room of the Australian team on that day?
I'm just imagining here and what I have read online and in newspapers. David Warner came up with the idea to tamper with the ball. Because he is one of the top players and vice-captain, he recruited his new team mate Cameron Bancroft to do the deed? Why? Because he is a new member of the team and not so well known, they thought that he wouldn't attract much attention.
My question here is was Cameron Bancroft bullied into basically cheating by his superiors in the team?
I would say probably not. Because Bancroft is just a new player and looking to make his mark in the team and in international cricket and when a senior player comes up to him of course he is going to say yes. I know I would. I would probably think that it is wrong and I'm sure Bancroft probably thought the same thing but he went ahead with it so that he could be seen to be doing the right thing for the team. I can understand that completely.
What can we learn from this?
Well, both Cameron Bancroft and I should be able to say "no" when we are faced with a situation that we are not comfortable with. I know that I have said "yes" in the past when I really wanted to say "no." Many people say "yes" just to fit in and to not seem like a nuisance. If we learn how to say "no" then our life can become easier and we can live according to our morals and also personality.
As an introvert, I know the times I can go to parties and the times when I can not. I can say "no" these days when in the past I couldn't and maybe Cameron Bancroft will learn this as he grows as a cricketer and a person.
I hope that he comes back to test cricket a better player and a better person. He is very talented (he wouldn't be in the team if he wasn't) and if he can come back half as well as Mohammad Amir then he will be doing very well.
Learn to say no. I'm learning too.
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