Cricket News

‘Australian players were given permission to tamper the ball’- David Warner’s manager makes huge claims on ball-tampering scandal

David Warner, Australia’s opener, has withdrawn his appeal to overturn the leadership ban imposed on him over his involvement in ball-tampering during the third Test match between Australia and South Africa in 2018. He had previously requested that the ban be lifted in the hopes of gaining an official leadership role in the Australia team in the aftermath of Aaron Finch’s captaincy being called into question following the team’s poor performance in the 20-20 World Cup 2022.

Warner revealed in an Instagram post on Wednesday that the Review Panel formed to look into his appeal was attempting to conduct a public trial of sorts, which could have an impact on his family’s health and welfare. He also stated that he was withdrawing his application to have his lifetime ban from cricket leadership positions changed.

“In effect, Counsel Assisting, and, it appears, to some extent the Review Panel, want to conduct a public trial of me and what occurred during the Third Test at Newlands. They want to conduct a public spectacle to, in the Panel’s words, have a “cleansing”. I am not prepared for my family to be the washing machine for cricket’s dirty laundry. My family is more important to me than cricket,” posted Warner on Instagram.

They were told to do it: James Erskine

Following Warner’s revelation, his manager, James Erskine, has added to the allegations by revealing new details to the ball-tampering scandal that shocked the cricket world four years ago. “When the truth comes out, everyone’s going to turn around and say ‘well, why was David Warner picked upon?’” Erskine told SEN 1170.

“The truth will come out. Let me tell you. Someone will… there’s lots of people. There’s two cricketers who put their hands up and said ‘why don’t we all just tell the truth? They can’t fire all of us’. That’s what happened,” he added.

Further, Erskine referred to an incident following the 2016 Hobart Test against South Africa, in which Australia was bowled out for 85 and ultimately lost by an innings and 80 runs.

“Two senior executives were in the changing room in Hobart (in 2016) and basically were berating the team for losing against South Africa – and Warner said that we’ve got to reverse swing the ball and the only way we can reverse swing the ball is basically by tampering with it – and so they were told to do it,” he revealed.

“I’m completely against it, I think tampering with balls is a joke, but it has gone on for centuries. Everybody has been fiddling around with balls and the penalty at the time by the ICC was a one-match ban,” he added.