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Thursday, 13 July, 2000, 15:14 GMT
Tougher line needed on ball tampering?
The subject of ball tampering is nothing new. For the first time, however, a player has been banned after being found guilty of altering the condition of the ball.Disclaimer: The BBC will put up as many of your comments as possible but we cannot guarantee that all e-mails will be published. The BBC reserves the right to edit comments that are published.
But was the one-match suspension handed out to Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis punishment enough?
The Pakistan team were first caught up in a ball tampering controversy during their 1992 tour of England, when the reverse swing obtained by Waqar and Wasim Akram enabled them to win the Test series 2-1.
Then England captain Mike Atherton found himself in hot water two years later, when TV pictures showed him apparently rubbing dirt on the ball during a Test against South Africa at Lord's.
Shoaib Akhtar came under scrutiny during last year's World Cup, but these are not isolated incidents.
So where do you stand on the ball-tampering issue?
Is the banning of Waqar a belated attempt to prevent players putting one over on the umpires?
Or is it a knee jerk reaction by a game desperate to be seen to be cleaning up its act in the wake of recent match-fixing scandals?
Is a tougher line needed on ball tampering?
I think that the match referee John Reid took matters too far. He has always been biased in his decisions and it is not suprising that a Pakistani player has been the first player to be charged for ball tampering. The main issue should be that of the match fixing allegations, and they impact this has on the sport. Before people start pointing the finger accusingly towards Pakistan, they should examine themselves.
Khuram Hussain, UK
Ball tampering has been in existence since the game was introduced. However, it should not be tolerated as it is a form of cheating and bad sportsmanship, hence eradicating the idea of Fairplay.
Lance Klusener was clearly scratching the ball in the same match, just check out the television coverage of the same match and it is proven - so why wasn't he fined or banned? It's always one rule for one and another for another, and Pakistanis are always in the firing line!
Waqas Ahmad, England
When an English player, such as Mike Atherton, is clearly caught on camera tampering with the ball, it is called the 'alleged' incident. When a Pakistani, such as Waqar, is spotted then inspite of two umpires' evidence to the contrary, he is punished. John Reid is another in the line of umpiring officials who feed the media appetite for accusations against Pakistan.
Why don't the western playing nations get off our back and accept that we are the most talented cricketers in the world?
Once Imran Kahn himself told the media that he used to tamper with the ball. The Pakistan manager should look into ball tampering his own side first before accusing India of match fixing.
Ball tampering or shining of the ball? As a youngster in the streets of Karachi, I was fascinated that every fast bowler's pants were red. It was considered a sign of your interest in the game and your enthusiasm to make that 60 over old ball go like a brand spanking new one. Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall, Dennis Lilly, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Geoff Thompson, Ian Botham and in the old black and white clips the old greats all do it. The fielders and sometimes the wicket keepers give it a hand. When did this extra effort become an illegal thing? As long as the game has been played, the players tried to alter the ball. Now it is illegal. It pains me to see this bitterness in the game. It is a game, play it and try to win!
Jahan Badar, Pakistan
I am happy to see that some moves have been made to stop ball tampering. Cricket is a gentleman's game. The ICC has neglected to keep the game healthy. I welcome the ICC decision to suspend players for their wrong doings. I fully agree with Reid in suspending Waqar, although he is not known for his fairness.
Why are the cricket board always going against Pakistan. They always find something wrong with Pakistan so why don't they just ban Pakistan for a year. The bowlers keep messing around.
First Akthar , then Akram and now Younis. When will they stop?
In my opinion kicking Waqar out of a cricket match would not help solve the problem, but if he did tamper with the ball, he should be penalised for one entire session of cricket, and pay 50% of match fees as a fine. Waqar is still considered the most efficient bowler of Pakistan in the entire world of cricket. I have seen lots of cricket matches being played throughout my lifetime, and most of bowlers clean the dirt or wet sports off the ball and now that's considered tampering with the ball. Banning Waqar for his entire life out of Pakistani cricket team will never ever help solve the problem.
I have just read the laws regarding ball tampering. The law with Mr Reid used was to uplift the seam. This was not implemented properly. The rules clearly state that if the ball is tampered with, the umpire should fist give warning to the Captain, the bowler and the other umpire, and change the ball. This was not done, as the umpires on the ground never found the ball to be changed, even though they were clearly instructed to check the ball after the alleged incident. I believe one cannot lift the seam of the ball, when it is hard by his bare hands in a matter of minutes. I also believe that John Ried is completely biased against Pakistan.
I've got no problem with ball tampering. Yes, it gives the bowler an advantage in terms of the reverse swing. But everybody who wants to watch cricket wants to be excited by what they see. Waqar is and has been a fantastic fast bowler for his country for many years, and I believe it is pure hypocrisy that he is being punished for something that adds something extra to a game that is constantly criticised for being boring.
Penalty for ball tampering should be effective enough to rule out such incidents in the future. However, I disagree that we should put a life ban on a bowler over a single incident. Ball tampering is a big issue but not big enough to throw someone out of the game forever. The ICC should punish the player heavily in terms of match fee and participation only after we have a system put in place.
Amer Rahman, Pakistan
I think that such bowlers should not be spared. They should be banned for not just a match but forever. No doubt Waqar is a world class bowler but the player who has not got a sportsman's spirit should be thrown out of international cricket.
I agree with Mr Bilal Bhutta. The ICC should have a system in place first so that every bowler will know what the consequences will be and then they can penalise players. Fines should be in the form of a match fee or season long suspension not a lifetime suspension.
I think the main point in this case, is that the match umpire has not taken into account the verdicts of the two umpires on the field. They are the officials in the best position to decide if the ball has been changed in any way. They saw no reason to believe there was any ball tampering going on. If they had, then yes by all means dish out a ban, but then all countries should come under the same inspection. I think - yet again - this is evidence that some cricket playing countries are treated differently to others.
Derek Halstead, India
If tampering with the seam is worse than rubbing one side of the ball to get extra shine, then we should apply bans retrospectively. We have the video archives to prove it. A one-match ban is not enough. The best way, would be to punish the whole team by taking away ranking points from tournaments, then the players who cheat will be more afraid to do so for fear of the consequences for the team.
One match ban for top players and a 50% fine of the match fees is inadequate. If an example has to be set then a longer ban should be considered. The quicker the ICC starts to hand out longer bans, the better for the game.
I think if ball tampering is proved, then a one-match suspension is a bit lenient. If not, then the umpire should be questioned on what basis has he given the verdict.
I can't understand the logic of a one-match suspension. When found guilty the concerned person must be banned from Cricket due to the serious nature of the offence. A life ban is the only solution to solve the ball tampering issue.
Why is it that we assume that Waqar was tampering with the ball and not cleaning the seam of dirt and other foreign material? Why don't we also mention the fact that the match referee had immediately asked the umpires on the field about the condition of the ball, and they reported that there was nothing out of the ordinary? Why did the match referee not confiscate the ball and keep it as evidence? I saw the video (zoomed view), and to me it makes a compelling case of seam cleaning. This is no different than wiping the ball if it is wet or applying your sweat or spit to shine it. The match referee in question has a well-publicised bias against Pakistan and should not have been allowed to supervise these matches.
Nash Dwaj, India
I saw the match in question and could see Klusener clearly scratching the ball, whilst arguing with Pakistani batsmen during his first three overs. Why hasn't he been banned as well?
Players know very well they are not supposed to be ball tampering in a gentleman's game. Anyone involved should be banned for life. Does the ICC have the courage to do that though?
Over the past two decades, most changes that have been made are in favour of batsmen - restriction on bouncers, lowering the seam on the ball to name a few. I think bowlers should be given a free rein to do whatever they can with their hands as long as they do not employ an object.
If a tougher action is to be taken it should be equal for all the nations. It should not be used against Pakistan or other sub-continent nations as we have seen in the past. Whenever a ban is imposed it is against Pakistani players such as Shoaib, Azhar, Moin and now Waqar.
How is it when a Pakistani bowler reverse swings it, it is automatically assumed that it is done by cheating.
Amer Malik, England
It was disgusting to see a great bowler like Waqar plunging to these tactics. He should be banned for at least two tournaments so no one dares to follow his lead and employ unfair tactics.
Jeff Cowls, England
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