Cricket legend Merv Hughes weighs in on ball-tampering scandal

He’s one of the country’s greatest cricketing legends and Merv Hughes has now spoken out about the ball-tampering scandal that rocked Australian cricket earlier this year.

Hughes, who was today announced as the first male ambassador for Priceline’s Misterhood for Sisterhood fundraiser to raise $1 million for the Priceline Sisterhood Foundation, told Starts at 60 he was disappointed in Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft’s actions earlier this year.

Australian cricket was turned on its head following the cheating scandal in South Africa in March and Smith, Bancroft and Warner were all banned from the game for their involvement in the ball-tampering during the Third Test. Warner and Smith were each given a 12-month ban from the game, while Bancroft was handed nine-months for his role.

“It’s obviously very disappointing,” Hughes exclusively told Starts at 60. “You just think, ‘what on earth were they thinking?’ and it’s amazing that since they’ve lost the South African tour, I’ll read the culture in the Australian team hasn’t been great.

“Now, when we beat England, when we went over to South Africa to win the first test match, there was no talk about the culture on the team. To me, Smith, Bancoft and Davie Warner, it is a harsh penalty, but I think we as Australians hold our sportsmen in higher esteem.”

Hughes, who played for Australia between 1985 and 1994, said the three men would always be punished harder than players from other countries.

“Where other countries’ players have just got a slap on the wrist by the ICC [International Cricket Council], the ICC sanction was never going to be the end of it,” he said. “The Cricket Australia Board was always going to come in and make an example of these guys.”

The 56-year-old understood there was debate over the punishment handed to the three players, but asked critics to put themselves in their shoes.

“Some people say it’s harsh, some people will say it’s not harsh enough, but how long is a piece of string?” Hughes asked. “You take three blokes in their prime out of their chosen sport at the top level for 12 months, that’s a huge penalty. I just see it as the pressure they were under. People don’t know why the hell they did it. People don’t understand the pressure at the top level. When they do it, it just shows you how desperate they were. So you don’t do those sorts of things if you’re not desperate.”

Despite the backlash, Hughes said he was happy to forgive and forget.

“I’m prepared to forgive and move on,” he said. “When they serve their penalties and they come back in the Australian side – which they no doubt will – I just hope the cricketing public and the general public in Australia accept them and understand they made a horrendous mistake, they’ve been punished for it, let’s move on.”

Merv Hughes will be making appearances at Priceline stores around Australia, where you can purchase a $2 scratchie to support the ‘Misterhood for the Sisterhood’ campaign.

What do you think? Should Australia’s ball-tampering players be forgiven? Was their punishment too harsh?