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Sponsors seriouslly upset about the Smith issue

Started by clevermike6 REPLIES1,139 VIEWS· 26 Mar 2018, 11:34
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CL
clevermikeCoach57,555 posts
26 Mar 2018, 11:34
#1
26 Mar 2018, 11:34#1

The scandal is spreading and now the sponsors are weighing in as is evident from the following newspaper report:-


"Cricket Australia is under mounting pressure to act decisively from key sponsors on Monday who voiced "deep concern" over a cheating scandal that has rocked the sport and damaged its reputation.

Captain Steve Smith admitted he hatched a plan to change the condition of the ball during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town Saturday, throwing the game into turmoil.

He was stood down from his role as skipper for the remainder of the match then banned for one game by the International Cricket Council, with CA conducting its own investigation.

The crisis couldn't have come at a worse time for the governing body, which is renegotiating a lucrative TV deal, with the existing A$600 million five-year agreement expiring at the end of the year.

There are concerns that broadcasters could use the controversy as a bargaining chip.

Sponsors of the team made clear on Monday they were not happy, amid fears of the fallout on their brands.

"This is deeply disappointing and certainly not what anyone expects from our national cricket team," airline Qantas, whose logo is on the team shirts in South Africa, told AFP.

"We are in discussions with Cricket Australia as this issue unfolds."

Financial giant Commonwealth Bank, which sponsors the national women's team, said it wanted a full explanation.

"We are disappointed about the events that have emerged from the third Test in South Africa and have asked for a full explanation from Cricket Australia following the conclusion of its investigation into this affair," it told AFP.

CA chief executive James Sutherland on Sunday said he was "extremely disappointed and shocked" but that the governing body wanted to get a clearer picture of the facts before making any decisions.

Its head of integrity Iain Roy and head of team performance Pat Howard were dispatched to South Africa to find out what went on and who knew about it.

Television footage showed Smith's teammate Cameron Bancroft taking a yellow object out of his pocket while fielding in the post-lunch session on Saturday and appearing to rub it on the ball.

He was punished by the ICC with three demerit points, fined 75 percent of his match fee and warned for his part in the scandal.

The team's biggest sponsor, fund manager Magellan, told the Australian Financial Review: "We're deeply concerned about it, it involves cheating, in no way would we condone it in what we do."

Magellan's Hamish Douglass added that it was appropriate for CA to respond "quickly".

Jaimie Fuller, executive chairperson of the Skins compression wear group of companies, said CA's reputation was on the line in how it responds.

In a full-page advert in Australian newspapers, he pointed out that cricket was more than just a game in Australia, with the captaincy of the national team considered second only to the prime minister in bragging rights.

"Cricket is such a part of our national psyche that it helps define us," he said. "It helps give us a sense of what is fair, and what is not; what is right and what is wrong.

"Even though you are presiding over the sport, it doesn't belong to you," he added of CA.

"You are the custodians of it. And now you must get your job right."
International and even lower levels of competition largely depend on sponsorship by the private sector and the sponsors of Aussie cricket is now weighing in.   That is a bad sign  for Aussie cricket and the cricket authorities will be ruthless insofar as not only Smith,  but also insofar as the other senior players who conspired with him  are concerned.     


DE
DennyCaptain12,893 posts
26 Mar 2018, 12:36
#2
26 Mar 2018, 12:36#2

"In a full-page advert in Australian newspapers, he pointed out that cricket was more than just a game in Australia, with the captaincy of the national team considered second only to the prime minister in bragging rights."


You better believe it.


CL
clevermikeCoach57,555 posts
26 Mar 2018, 13:11
#3
26 Mar 2018, 13:11#3

Denny

So what would happen under the circumstances?   I would think there are more players than Smith going to get the chop and Lehman will also be jobless soon,   I thought Lehman before the tour commenced announced that he will be resigning from the position as coach - do you think they will wait that long for his resignation or merely fire him. 

By the way latest news is that Smith has resigned as captain f the Rajasthan Royals IPL team - will the same fate happen to Warner ?   

BL
bluebokPro3,977 posts
26 Mar 2018, 13:30
#4
26 Mar 2018, 13:30#4
I think the elephant in the room is Lehman. I am almost certain he was also in on the plan. There was something about the way smith referred to the leadership group in the interview that just gave me the feeling he meant...the entire leadership. Also, he seemed so confident that his position as captain was secure. I think that security, misplaced as it turned out to be, was there because the action was endorsed by the boss, and he felt there would be no serious repercussions for what they had done. Unfortunately for them, they underestimated the extent of the fallout. It was not something they could manage within the team environment, and they fell victim to forces greater than themselves.    
BL
BlikkiesPro1,526 posts
26 Mar 2018, 19:00
#5
26 Mar 2018, 19:00#5

'Vinnige' Fanie de Villiers must be thanked for catching the Aussies doing this shit. Fanie remarked to others that it is not possible to change the ball in such a short time without interference and asked the cameramen to scrutinize the actions of the bowlers more closely and they got the results.

https://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/Proteas/fanie-tipped-off-cameramen-to-oz-shenanigans-20180326


BE
Beeno1Captain40,032 posts
26 Mar 2018, 19:13
#6
26 Mar 2018, 19:13#6

Good ol Vinnige! Smith must lose the captaincy but be allowed to play on after is suspension. Then forget about it oaks.

CL
clevermikeCoach57,555 posts
26 Mar 2018, 22:58
#7
26 Mar 2018, 22:58#7

Beeno

You are very generous and I tend to support you in what you wrote.   However, the Aussies regard their sport as a source of national pride and a bond to the country.   As denny wrote above  they regard their cricket captain as second only to their Prime Minister.

There national pride has been hurt and that makes them unpredictable and the outcome could be very bad for Smith,  He already lost the captaincy of the Rajasthan Royals that will cost him cluse to a $1 million.    He may lose much more if the present uproar continues.   We should know by Wednesday what they have decided.

The problem is that the crooking started already in the first teat and continued in the second test-  but then they overdid it and Vinnige Fanie was too clever for that team and he helped to expose the crooking in the third test.   And that did not satisfy them so the next move was to go for Rabada,   In the latter case Smith engineered the incident and in the end it failed.   In the other cases the fall guy was to be Bancroft - the cowards were no prepared to do their dirty work themselves.   

    

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