Former Test opener Ed Cowan has slammed Cricket Australia’s response to the ball tampering controversy in last week’s Australia A game, suggesting the umpire’s claims were swept under the rug because of the upcoming Test series against India. Former Australian cricketer and Cricket New South Wales board director Ed Cowan has ignited controversy over the ball-switch incident during the final day of the first unofficial Test between India A and Australia A in Mackay.
Ed Cowan claimed that Cricket Australia (CA) may have handled things very differently if any team other than India had been involved in the ball-switch incident. Cowan has openly said that the financial interests in the upcoming high-stakes Test series may have influenced the lack of action from Cricket Australia (CA) over the incident.
Ball Tampering issue in 1st unofficial test between IND A and AUS A.
On day four of the game between India A and Australia A in Mackay, India’s players argued with the umpires because the match ball had been changed overnight. In a move that raised eyebrows, India received a new ball on the final morning of the first four-day match after the original was found with scratches. It sparked frustration among the Indian players, and Ishan Kishan had some animated discussion with the umpire, Shawn Craig.
Even Shawn Craig was overheard on the stump mic telling the Indian players that their alleged scratching of the ball had led to the change, but Cricket Australia (CA) downplayed his claims by stating that the ball naturally “deteriorated,” and that’s why the umpired changed the ball.
This received a strong reaction from wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan, who labelled the decision as “stupid,” leading the umpire to threaten him with a dissent charge.
After a recent incident of alleged ball-tampering during the 1st unofficial Test between India A and Australia A, former Australian cricketer Ed Cowan opened up that Cricket Australia (CA) would have reacted differently had the opposing team not been India.
Ed Cowan slams CA for not addressing alleged ball-tampering well in IND A vs AUS A 2024 match
Former Test cricketer Ed Cowan believes Cricket Australia would have addressed the recent alleged ball-tampering situation differently had an Indian team not been involved. The ex-opener feels the board would have been wary of an Indian player or the BCCI threatening to pull out of the upcoming Test series.
The incident occurred on Day 4 of the first unofficial four-day Test between India A and Australia A as the visiting players argued with the umpires over changing the ball. Umpire Shawn Craig was overheard via stump mic telling the Indian players that their scratching of the ball had caused it to be changed. After Ishan Kishan called it a ‘stupid decision’, the umpire threatened him to book him for dissent.
Cricket Australia’s statement later in the day announcing no further action has not gone down well with Ed Cowan. The 42-year-old reckons umpire Craig deserved some backing for trying to rectify what he saw went wrong on the field. Speaking on ABC Grandstand Cricket Podcast, Cowan opined:
“Shawn Craig, it feels has been hung out to dry here badly. Has had no support from his employer. He has seen something on the field and in his best judgement, tried to rectify that. Then Cricket Australia have worked out that they’ve got an issue.
I’m in a bit of shock actually that an actual press release would come out and say, having heard the audio — that an umpire thought it had been scratched and well within their rights to change the ball — that it’s like, ‘Oh no, nothing more to see here.'”
“The issue is, similar to any other time India are aggrieved, they threatened to maybe pull a tour or they threatened X, Y and Z and people retreat. Part of me just thinks if this wasn’t India, there would be a totally different reaction.”
Ed Cowan’s ex-teammate David Warner echoed his comments and demanded an explanation from Cricket Australia for ‘squashing’ the umpire’s claims.
“You can’t choose when integrity matters” – Ed Cowan shares his views on Cricket Australia’s integrity
Ed Cowan feels Cricket Australia would have addressed the matter differently if it was any team other than India.
“If that was Pakistan A, or England A, or choose any A team, or even a Shield game, the reaction would be totally different and for me, that’s the wrong approach,” he said during the same discussion.
“To be fair, it’s just us joining dots. These dots may be totally incorrect, we’d have imperfect information, but I do think it’s on Cricket Australia to clarify this, and it’s also probably imperative on the BCCI to clarify this. My underlying issue here is you can’t choose when integrity matters.”
Meanwhile, Australia’s blockbuster Test series against India gets underway on November 22 in Perth.