Newlands ball-tampering “disappointing but not surprising”

Players being treated as commodities by Cricket Australia and living in a ‘gilded bubble’ in-part created an environment for the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa, according to the Ethics Centre Review into Australian cricket.

The review states that “the evidence suggests that Newlands was not an aberration – a cultural ‘outlier’. Rather, it is an extreme example of a latent tendency growing out of the prevailing culture of men’s cricket in Australia – especially (but not exclusively) at the elite level.”

The review quoted one respondent stating that the events in Newlands were “disappointing but not surprising”.

The review canvassed responses from many elite players who felt they were treated as “commodities” or “assets” and “their ‘measure is recorded in runs made, wickets taken, matches won, world rankings. They count for little – perhaps for nothing – outside of those metrics”.

The review found that “in turn, players have internalised the belief that winning is the only thing that matters. For example, a number of elite players made it clear that they would not challenge the bad behaviour of a gifted player – in case doing so would put the player off their game – making the difference between a win or loss.”

The review explicitly states, “when the quality of an individual cover drive matters more than a person’s character, then it is difficult to sustain the case for investing in personal integrity.”

The new Australia coach Justin Langer, appointed in the midst of the review being undertaken, has been quoted on a number of occasions as wanted to pick players based on their “character over cover drives”.

The review also found that the elite pathway for male players reaching the pinnacle of Australian cricket has put them in a ‘gilded bubble’ that “are isolated from the lifeblood of cricket – the multitude of less gifted players who comprise the bulk of the game: and ordinary Australians who make up the game’s fan base.”

But the review noted that ‘gilded bubble’ was not just made up of the Australian team but the entire high performance program featuring coaches and support staff.

“Unfortunately, the focus on winning and the success of the Australian Men’s Team has pushed the rest of Australian cricket into a subservient role,” the review states.

One story of a groundsman preparing a practice pitch over an extended period of time, only to see an elite bowler delivery seven balls before stopping due to reaching their management ‘quota’, highlighted the bubble.

“This kind of behaviour speaks to the gross disrespect to those who are not natives of the ‘gilded bubble’,” the review states.

“It sets an example in which the ends justify the means. It invites the development of a culture of exceptionalism in which the normal standards of decency do not apply.

“Those living within the ‘gilded bubble’ would probably be horrified to realise that this is how their conduct is experienced and judged. They might assume that others understand that none of it is meant to be ‘personal’. That all us done in the service of a greater good – the success of cricket as a whole.