Ball tampering allegations resurface in cricket world: claims suggest vaseline was used; will the BCB react?

Former Australian player Usman Khawaja made a shocking statement regarding the 'Sandpapergate' incident of 2018. He asserts that information about the ball manipulation was known not only to Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft, but to the entire Australian team.

According to Khawaja, similar use of sandpaper occurred previously in the match between Gekebrah and South Africa. These statements were made by him in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, and are also mentioned in his forthcoming autobiography, 'Sabr'. Khawaja emphasized: 'It was all of us. Neither players, nor bowlers, nor staff were different. We all knew about it.'

He noted that after the incident, he appealed to the team players to take collective responsibility for what happened. However, his opinion was ignored, and Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft received punishments.

In March 2018, during a match in Cape Town against South Africa, Cameron Bancroft was filmed sanding the surface of the ball with sandpaper. Following this, then-captain Steve Smith admitted that a group of team leaders had planned the ball manipulation.

After the investigation, Cricket Australia imposed sanctions: Steve Smith and David Warner received a 12-month ban each, and Cameron Bancroft was suspended for nine months. Additionally, Smith was banned from captaining for another 12 months. David Warner's lifetime captaincy ban was lifted in 2024.

Usman Khawaja also questioned the investigation process itself. He stated that he was present with Cameron Bancroft throughout the match, but Cricket Australia did not interview him. He expected contact from officials but was not reached. Khawaja believes that management knew he would speak about the team's collective responsibility, which is why his testimony may not have been accepted.

He expressed surprise that the investigation concluded and the players were punished, yet he was never asked about it. Khawaja mentioned that before the recent tour to South Africa, he told Pat Cummins about his intention to openly write about the dispute in his book. He feels that Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft carried the burden of this incident alone for too long, and now he wants to reveal the truth to put this dispute behind them.

Although the small boundaries at New Zealand stadiums can be advantageous for batsmen, they present a serious challenge for fielders. The ball quickly crosses the boundary line, leaving fielders very little time to react. Nevertheless, experienced athletes such as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma demonstrate outstanding results due to their agility and precise decision-making. Subhish Ghosh, the fielding coach for the Indian team, explained the secret behind these two veterans' brilliant play.

Before the second ODI between India and New Zealand, held in Wellington, Subhish Ghosh elaborated on the game of Kohli and Rohit. He noted that both players have years of experience playing in the same position. This long experience has strengthened their muscle memory, allowing them to anticipate the direction and trajectory of the ball faster than others.

Ghosh emphasized: 'One of the most important aspects in fielding is predicting the ball. Virat has played at cover and point millions of times. He is able to anticipate the direction, path, and movement of the ball after contact with the ground earlier than other players.'

Commenting on Rohit Sharma's play, he mentioned an impressive catch in the first ODI. According to Ghosh, Rohit was able to recognize the situation even before the ball reached him. To become a great fielder, natural talent, experience, and regular repetition of the same action are necessary.

The small boundaries on New Zealand fields create a unique challenge for Indian fielders. Ghosh explained that when the field is compact, the need for fielders on the boundary decreases, and most players are placed in the infield. Under these conditions, the time between the batsman's shot and the fielder's reaction becomes extremely short.

He added: 'If you play on fields with small boundaries, there is no outfielder; everyone is an infielder. Reaction time is reduced because the boundary is very close.'

To increase speed and the ability to correctly judge the ball in fielding, the Indian team uses light balls during training. Ghosh reported that a light ball requires greater stability and better reaction from players. Furthermore, emphasis is placed on understanding the ball's movement and making decisions at the right moment.

He noted that judging the ball in New Zealand is critically important, and the team is constantly working on the stability of its fielders and their ability to judge the ball during training sessions.

Subhish Ghosh expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Indian players in the first ODI. He noted that the team made good catches and demonstrated excellent fielding. The energy and enthusiasm of the players on the field were also positively assessed.

Ghosh admitted that dropping a caught ball is part of the game of cricket, but the team takes this matter seriously, and the players are aware of their responsibility. Ghosh, who took over as fielding coach after T. Dilap, who held the position in August, is now working on improving the team's stability in the field and its ability to judge the ball correctly.

India won the five-match T20 series against New Zealand by a score of 3-2. Following this victory in the first ODI of the ODI series, the Indian team took a 1-0 lead. After this tour, the Indian team is scheduled to play another series of two Test matches. When asked about the physical pressure on the players due to continuous matches, Ghosh replied that it is more of a mental than a physical challenge.

He stated that although continuous matches are physically demanding, the Indian players are so experienced that they know how to cope with such circumstances. Regarding whether Mohammed Siraj will get a spot in the starting eleven for the second ODI, Ghosh declined to make any statements, noting that the decision will be made by the team management.

Amidst the rapid development of T20 cricket, where batsmen often score heavily, Anshul Kamboj made a strong impression with his bowling performance in New Zealand. During the first ODI match at Eden Park in Auckland, Kamboj took 2 wickets, conceding only 22 runs in 10 overs, resulting in an economy rate of 2.20.

The entire New Zealand team was eventually brought to a score of 185 runs after 40.2 overs. This match marked Kamboj's best performance in international competition at the age of 25, as he prevented the New Zealand batsmen from playing freely. His strength lay in his ability to move the ball in both directions: sometimes it went in, and sometimes it went out. He consistently bowled with good length, slightly shorter, and surprised the batsmen by varying his length, sometimes bowling full and sometimes short, which caused difficulties for the New Zealand players in scoring runs.

Kamboj secured the first wicket against Santner, dismissing the captain. This happened on the first ball of the 27th over when Kamboj's delivery touched the inside edge of Santner's bat and went into the wicket. Santner tried to stop the ball, but it came in and led to the loss of a wicket. After this, Kamboj celebrated very energetically.

The impact of Kamboj's play was also evident in the 28.3 over, when Nathan Smith fell victim to him. Kamboj bowled a good-length ball outside off-stump, which became straight after hitting the pitch. Smith tried to defend by moving forward, but the ball touched the outside edge of the bat and flew towards the second slip. Virat Kohli executed a magnificent one-handed catch there, diving to the right. The third umpire confirmed the catch, showing in replay that the ball was in Virat's hands before it hit the ground. After this, Virat celebrated the moment in his signature style, pointing towards the dressing room.

Indian captain Shubman Gill decided to start the game with bowling after the toss. In this match, India fielded four specialized fast bowlers: Anshul Kamboj, Akib Nabi, Guruon Barar, and Arshad Singh. These four combined had experience in 29 ODI matches. Mohammad Siraj was not included in the starting XI, and instead of all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, spin all-rounder Naman Diar was selected. Facing this young attacking bowling attack, the task was to prove their worth in New Zealand conditions. However, the Indian bowlers did not allow the hosts to play freely.

The entire New Zealand team was brought to a score of 185 runs in 40.2 overs. The most outstanding performance, however, was demonstrated by Kamboj through his restrained bowling. He showed that even in modern aggressive cricket, control of the ball, correct length, and movement in both directions can create serious problems for batsmen. In New Zealand, Kamboj strengthened the trust in the Indian team.

Guruon Barar took 3 wickets, conceding 44 runs in 9.2 overs. Arshad Singh took 4 wickets, conceding 70 runs in 10 overs, while Akshar Patel conceded only 12 runs in 5 overs. Akib Nabi failed to take any wickets, conceding 33 runs in 6 overs.

Although Arshad Singh conceded 70 runs in 10 overs, his performance was not bad throughout the day. His last over proved quite expensive, which affected his statistics, despite him taking 4 wickets. After New Zealand reached a score of 185 runs, a good opportunity opened up for the Indian batsmen to chase the target at Eden Park. Considering how the bowlers restricted the home team's score, achieving this target looks relatively easy for India.