The Cricket must move on. The perpetrators of the ball tampering incident that took place in the third Test between South Africa and Australia have returned home and have received their punishments as well. The last and fourth Test between these two teams starts tomorrow at Johannesburg with South Africa leading the series 2-1. Hashim Amla reflected on the proceedings speaking to the media.
When asked about the incident and how the South African team reacted when they came to know about the methods adopted by the Australian side to gain an unfair advantage, Amla’s reply was typically calm and composed. He said,“We were surprised. That was it. There was so much that happened afterward, but at that particular moment, we were like, okay… We know there are a lot of cameras around. For that to happen, it’s a sad moment for international cricket.“
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“We know how hard cricket is, so when things like this go on we do feel sympathetic to a person who has made a mistake and paid a price for it.”
Hashim also considered this is an opportunity for the ICC to face this issue and come out with clearer solutions in future. He also thinks that the sandpaper gate serves as a reality check for all cricket-playing nations to settle on what kind of cricket does one wants to play.
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The root of Amla’s soft stand on the Aussies may stem from the fact that South Africa themselves have been guilty under various ball-tampering charges for three times in the last few years. In fact, their captain FAF Du Plessis has been fined for similar charges on two occasions at least. In 2013, FAF Du Plessis was caught rubbing the ball on his zipper and in 2017 he was found applying excessive mint on the ball. ICC acted on both the occasions.
The aspect which hogged the limelight for the first two Tests and now completely ignored in the aftermath of the ball-tampering controversy is sledging. Amla, the gentleman said,”I don’t say much. I try to afford as much respect as possible. I don’t try and demean anybody.” He further added,“For me, it is a skills-based sport and I try and support my team-mates as much as possible. What’s happening in their camp, I don’t want to comment too much. They have their issues to deal with.“
