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Former Australian Test cricket captain Michael Clarke has called on Cricket Australia to address the unbelievable allegations made by David Warner’s manager, James Erskine, stating “this is getting out of hand”.
Erskine stated in SEN Radio on Thursday that Australian cricket officials encouraged players to handle the ball after Hobart’s Test loss to South Africa in 2016.
He claimed the officials “were in the locker room in Hobart [in 2016] and they were basically berating the team for losing to South Africa.’
Warner leaves the field out for 21 runs during the Second Test between Australia and the West Indies at Adelaide Oval
“Warner said we have to reverse the swing of the ball and the only way we can reverse the swing of the ball is to basically tamper with it, so they were told to do that.
“I am completely against it, I think ball tampering is a joke, but it has gone on for centuries. Everyone has been fiddling with the balls and the sanction imposed at that time by the ICC was one match suspension.’
Erskine also claimed that not all people responsible for the 2018 Sandpapergate cheating scandal in South Africa have been named.
‘You’d have to be a blind black Labrador [to not see] there were way more than three people involved in this. They all took a beating and David Warner was completely villainous,” he said.
Sky TV commentator and former Test Cricket captain Michael Clarke doesn’t think the problem will go away anytime soon.
Following Erskine’s allegations, three unidentified players who were in the Hobart test sheds disputed his claims about the Sydney Morning Herald.
Cricket Australia has yet to respond to Erskine’s allegations.
However, an investigation led by the governing body’s former head of integrity, Iain Roy, previously concluded that only Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft had prior knowledge of Australia’s handling of the ball in Cape Town.
Cricket Australia has also amended its Code of Conduct following a review at its October board meeting with a new provision saying: “Players and support staff can now request long-term sanctions to be amended.”
That brought Warner’s leadership ban and the Sandpapergate incident back into the spotlight, prompting Clarke to call for a quick resolution.
Warner dodges a short ball while batting on the first day of the second Test match of the series between Australia and the West Indies at Adelaide Oval
“What a day for cricket,” he said on Sky Sports Radio’s “The Big Sports Breakfast.”
‘Honestly, I said the last, I don’t know how long, probably since Sandpapergate happened that I wish this would go away. Well, you know I’m going to tell you the opposite because yesterday is an explosion.
‘This is not going anywhere. This is getting out of hand. This thing is getting bigger.
‘There are some nervous men who woke up this morning to these comments made yesterday by David Warner’s manager, James Erskine. when i saw that [news] Yesterday, my jaw hit the ground.
In the photo, Warner collapses during a press conference at the Cricket New South Wales offices in Sydney after Sandpapergate.
Steve Smith flanked by teammate Cameron Bancrof, speaking during a press conference in Cape Town on March 24, 2018, when he admitted to tampering with the ball.
‘Where is Cricket Australia?’ she asked.
“This is what must be made clear to Cricket Australia. You can’t just sweep this under the rug and say, “Well, we’ve got a new board, we’ve got a new CEO.”
“Listen, I don’t care if you have to go back to James Sutherland and pick up the phone and call him or Pat Howard or anyone else who was involved in what James Erskine says because you’re not going to sweep this off.” [under the carpet].
You better find out what the hell happened. I want to know, as a former Australian captain, I want to know what’s going on within this setup.
‘I’m telling you now, if James Erskine has that information, do you think that’s all he has? This is not going away, you have to tell the truth.
‘Cricket Australia needs urgent help at this time. They need the right help. This is every man for himself. It is awful.’
Clarke wants the problem resolved so that it does not affect the three-Test series against South Africa which begins in Brisbane on December 17.
“South Africa will be licking their lips… look at today’s papers and we’re not even talking about Sandpapergate,” he said.
‘This is in the lead up. Which is why I think this is a big reason why Davey hasn’t gone through with this challenging the captaincy thing, because he knows that if he says something that’s off script compared to what’s been said, it puts to his teammates on it.
“I also feel sorry for the guys that were involved because, more than anyone, that team would want this to go away. The players in that test match would want this to go away.