The last week has been the worst week in the history of Australia sport. Cheating in a cricket match is a sin of the highest nature for the majority of Australians and those from Commonwealth countries (except Canada) The origins of the game were such that it was a "gentleman's" game.
Cheating has occurred before particularly in Pakistan but Australia has held itself out to be "holier-than-thou" in regards to the spirit of the game.
Well the facts are we did cheat in South Africa and it is quite possible it has happened before under the leadership that that exist before this week.
The resulting fall out has seen the captain and vice captain suspended for a year and the player (Bancroft) who was instructed to do the deed suspended for a lesser period.In addition the coach has resigned and there was a near riot at the airport in South Africa when 2 of the players left.
It appears the real villain was the vice captain, David Warner who instigate the plot and who subsequently lied afterwards about what happened. Smith, the captain was to my mind, guilty of showing an appalling lack of leadership and judgement. It appears he simply has allowed the vice captain to have to much power.
This incident has made headlines around the world and even resulted in our Prime Minister issuing a number of statements condemning the incident. From a financial perspective, sponsorship has been withdrawn for the both the players and cricket Australia.
After watching the news conference given separately by Smith,Bancroft and the coach, it is clear that the incident will have a major impact on their future life's and particularly in Smith case his mental health. I do feel sorry for them because the penalties are not the end of the matter as the Australia sports public are extremely unforgiving.
Personally I do hope Smith and Bancroft can make a comeback to the game they obviously love but I am not so sure that Warner deserves a second chance.