Senior Tamworth cricketers have condemned the Australian Test players involved in the ball-tampering uproar, labelling the act “disappointing”, “crazy”, “dispiriting” and “dumb”.
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“I think it’s just crazy that they have done it,” said Bective East skipper Adam Jones, adding that he was also astounded by the “incredible” action of Australian captain Steve Smith, forced to stand down over the incident, to then “throw half the team under the bus”.
“This day and age to think they could get away with this is beyond stupidity,” he said. “Whether you’re a cricket fan-sports fan, it’s affected the whole country. Cricket is summer, and now it’s all been tarnished for ever with these actions.”
City United captain Brad Smith said junior Test player Cameron Bancroft’s decision to tamper with the ball during the third Test against South Africa at Cape Town, with the backing of the team’s “leadership group”, sent a horrible message to children.
“It’s pretty disappointing,” he said. “Kids look up to these blokes and this is the example they are setting. I don’t think it should end careers, because everyone makes mistakes, but it’s a wakeup call.”
North Tamworth captain Brendan Rixon said it was a “sad day for Australian cricket”. “I don’t feel sorry for the players involved,” he added.
Former South Tamworth skipper Tom Groth described the incident as “pretty dumb”.
