You’re paid to win, not play: Steve Smith on Cricket Australia’s pressure before ball-tampering row

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https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/you-re-paid-to-win-not-play-steve-smith-on-cricket-australia-s-pressure-before-ball-tampering-row/story-6tYheTblqOYvDVXsr6CdZL.html

 

Banned former Australian captain Steve Smith on Wednesday said that Cricket Australia executives James Sutherland and Pat Howard played a key role in spreading the toxic “win at all costs” culture in the team that led to the infamous ball-tampering scandal.

Smith is serving a one-year ban for his role in the scandal that forced a review of Australia’s cricket culture.

“I think back to Hobart when we lost there against South Africa (November 2016) and it was our fifth straight loss in Test cricket I think after three Tests in Sri Lanka. And I remember James Sutherland and Pat Howard coming into the rooms there and actually saying ‘We don’t pay you to play, we pay you to win’,” the 29-year-old Smith told ‘Fox Cricket’ host Adam Gilchrist in an interview.

“So, for me, that was I think a little bit disappointing to say. We don’t go out there to try and lose games of cricket, we go out there to try and win and play the best way we can.” While Sutherland resigned from his position as CA chief executive after the incident, team performance head Howard was sacked last month after review by an independent committee. In fact, Howard was one of CA’s investigation team members that questioned Smith and other players in the aftermath of the scandal.

 

“If you’re talking about cultures and stuff, you only have to look back a couple of months before South Africa and we won an Ashes series here in Australia 4-0 and people are saying the culture’s really good and everything’s good,” Smith said. “So, you know, things can change really quickly. Obviously events that happened in Cape Town make people say that the culture was really bad. People will have their own opinions on that. Personally, I don’t think it was a bad culture,” he added.

Smith is likely to return to the Australian team for the ODI series against Pakistan in March next year after serving three more months of his year-long suspension.

Even though Smith has been barred from holding any leadership role for one more year after his suspension, former captain Ricky Ponting backed the gifted batsman to return as skipper in future.

Smith, however, is not looking that far ahead and is just focussed on making his return to the Australian team.

“Look, it’s not something I’ve thought too much about at the moment,” Smith said about leading the team again.

“For me, it’s just about getting back and I’d love to play under Tim (Paine) in the Ashes and under Finchy (Aaron Finch) in the World Cup and, you know, I’d do anything to try and help them and help the Australian team play some good cricket and play the right cricket and have some success as well. That’s my ambition at the moment and I’m working forward towards that,” he added.

 

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Bancroft opens up about the incident

Bancroft revealed that it was former Australian vice-captain David Warner, who had suggested the idea to tamper with the ball and he was just trying to be valued by the team. However, he apologized to everyone as it was his responsibility to make the choice and he chose the wrong one.

The suspended Test batsman in an exclusive interview with Adam Gilchrist for Fox Cricket mentioned that David Warner asked him to tamper with the ball in Cape Town. He carried out the order with sandpaper and received a nine-month ban which he is now days away from serving in full.

 

Bancroft admitted his own distorted values played a key role, saying: “Dave (Warner) suggested to me to carry the action out on the ball gave the situation we were in the game and I didn’t know any better.”

This interview brought limelight to the ball tampering incident after it was aired during the India-Australia third Test in Melbourne. And this move has been criticised by former Australian captain Ricky Ponting. He (Ponting) ended up saying, “I’m not sure how happy the players would be about it or Cricket Australia, because it’s a pretty special moment in Australian cricket on a day like today. So, we’ll see what the reaction is,” as quoted by cricket.com.au.

https://www.crictracker.com/australia-vs-india-ricky-ponting-disappointed-with-cameron-bancrofts-interview-airing-during-the-series/

 

[velu]

half of his brain is made of sand i guess.. 

guy needs help for DRS calls .. 

[Nikola]

"I remember James Sutherland and Pat Howard coming into the rooms there and actually saying 'We don't pay you to play, we pay you to win', said Steve Smith.

[sscomp32]

LOL it looks like a dedicated campaign to paint warner as main villain. But all are equally involved. Even the fans are feeling bad for mr. brianfade. 

[G_B_]

hmm i suspect as sscomp32 implies, i doubt Warner is coming back to the Aussie team. Especially if the openers from Aus perform well.

 

 

[ExtremeBrainfade]

Leadership lesson #1:  Accept praise, deflect blame.    

 

Wait ... what??

[gattaca]

This guy is blaming everyone. He is terrible leader. Just accept you made a mistake than to get sympathy by blaming others. He seems like amir who used age as his excuse.  

[Lannister]

How pathetic of Warner to involve an youngster to do the dirty deed. And this guy is their senior player. Just kick him out, everything will be fine. 

Edited December 27, 2018 by Lannister

[maniac]

Warner is the most important player for them this World Cup.

[Deleted_User_1]

This Steve Smith is such a whiner, so James Sutherland gave him a warning win or else and he equated that to cheating! Did Sutherland say to him go out and cheat? Excuses, excuses. He is lucky he is going to play, he should never be a captain again.

 

Actually, I would not be shocked if he is half the player was before the incident. These types of scandal break one mentally. Look at Mohd Amir or even Tiger Woods.

Edited December 26, 2018 by Audiophile

[maniac]

35 minutes ago, Audiophile said:

This Steve Smith is such a whiner, so James Sutherland gave him a warning win or else and he equated that to cheating! Did Sutherland say to him go out and cheat? Excuses, excuses. He is lucky he is going to play, he should never be a captain again.

 

Actually, I would not be shocked if he is half the player was before the incident. These types of scandal break out mentally. Look at Mohd Amir or even Tiger Woods.

Amir and Tiger woods in the same sentence lol. You made ozgirl’s day

 

Anyways true though 100% agree with you. It will be an uphill task for Smith to comeback from this. 

 

Usually it works both ways, either the player looks total shell or we see them becoming a part  of comeback folklore. 

[Deleted_User_1]

57 minutes ago, maniac said:

Amir and Tiger woods in the same sentence lol. You made ozgirl’s day

 

Anyways true though 100% agree with you. It will be an uphill task for Smith to comeback from this. 

 

Usually it works both ways, either the player looks total shell or we see them becoming a part  of comeback folklore. 

I thought Tiger Woods was the Mohd Amir of Golf before the scandal, no?  Seriously, he had the potential to become a ATG before the match fixing scandal. Now look at him, in and out of the team struggling to bowl mid 130s!! That is what scandal does to your psyche. More often than not, folks struggle to regain past glory.

Edited December 26, 2018 by Audiophile

[Deleted_User_1]

I think the snake here is David Warner. Phecker planned all this and did not even have the balls to execute it himself. If I was Aussie cricketer, I would not have him in my team. The other two, I am willing to give another chance, but no captaincy for Smith.

[nevada]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/smith-and-bancroft-interviews-fail-to-pass-the-bs-test-20181227-p50odq.html

[R!TTER]

18 hours ago, sscomp32 said:

LOL it looks like a dedicated campaign to paint warner as main villain. But all are equally involved. Even the fans are feeling bad for mr. brianfade. 

Which fans? The convicts down under have already pardoned the trio, if they can let Mark Waugh & Shane Warne get away with it then why not these 3, besides they're also annoyed by the beating their team is getting without the trio.

 

He's probably the brains behind it all, if DRSgate was his doing then why would sandpapergate be any different? Warner is obviously the fall guy & probably expendable as well.

[Pollack]

Compare that to the attitude of our players."Process" "Best travelling team" (with one odd fluke win each Sena series) Paid Holiday. To hell with nets. To hell with practice matches.