The 2018 ball tampering scandal has come back into the spotlight after a controversial revelation by Australian batsman Cameron Bancroft who hinted that the Aussie bowlers knew what was going on in the Test against South Africa at Cape Town.
Former Pakistan batsman Salman Butt was the latest expert to lash out at the Australian bowlers as he felt there is no way the bowlers didn’t know that a foreign object was being used.
“It is not true that the ball is reverse (swinging) and the bowlers do not know. There are players in the team who are responsible for making sure the bowlers get reverse swing. The aim is to keep it as shiny as possible and keep rubbing it over the passage of time and after a point, the ball starts to reverse,” Butt said on his YouTube channel.
The former left-hand batsman said he agreed with former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff who also believed that the bowlers must’ve known.
“Hence, it is not possible for the team or the dressing room to know that the ball is not reversing. The moment it does, we see bowlers being changed. What Flintoff said was absolutely correct that how can the bowlers, for whom the ball is prepared, not know,” the 36-year-old said.
“Bancroft was preparing the ball. Steve Smith, the captain, knew, and even David Warner was involved. All those punished were batsmen but not even a single bowler was. I commend the person who took these decisions,” he added.
Bancroft was caught using sandpaper on ball on camera and thus was banned from cricket for 9 months along with skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner who were handed 12-month bans each.
(With Hindustan Times inputs)
