Justin Langer expresses concern over ball-tampering being an international problem

Australia’s coach Justin Langer has guaranteed personally that there will not be a repeat offense of ball-tampering after the ‘sandpaper gate’. While conversing with the Australian legend Adam Gilchrist in an interview for Fox Cricket on Wednesday, Langer also displayed his concern for ball-tampering being an international problem. 

In the second Test match against South Africa last year, the Australian opener Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera hiding a piece of sandpaper. Cricket Australia, on further investigation, decided to hand one-year ban to Captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner. Bancroft was banned for six months as well. Coach Daren Lehmann resigned post the scandal and Justin Langer was appointed as the head coach.

Speaking about the incident, Langer expressed his astonishment of seeing a piece of sandpaper being used to change the ball condition. “I can’t for a single second understand how we took sandpaper out on to the field, that doesn’t make any sense to me,” said the former Test opener of Australia.

Langer further added his concern for the Cape Town episode not being an isolated one but rather an international problem. “In terms of the specific with what happened with the ball, my honest view is, it’s an international problem,” said the current Australian coach.

To remedy this, Langer suggested improvement in the quality of pitches and ensuring the contest between the bat and the ball remains fair. He recommended, “We’ve got to get the pitches right around the world so that the ball does move, whether it spins or swings. It’s a real worry.” 

Cricket Australia in trying to assess the situation better, initiated a cultural review of the game in the country. The report submitted criticized the Board for fostering an environment which developed the ‘win-at-all-costs’ attitude in the team causing the infamous scandal in South Africa. 

Langer defended his team when their attitude and behavior was questioned. He added, “The most interesting thing in my last six months I’ve heard is that, almost globally, the Australian cricket team’s culture is terrible; their behaviors are disgraceful. What I do know is that the players in there are the best young blokes you’ll ever see. They work hard, they’re really professional and they’re really nice young blokes.”