Oz tour of India, Feb 9 - March 22

Eng in India, Afg vs Ire in UAE, SA & Oz in NZ, SL in Bang

Re: Oz tour of India, Feb 9 - March 22

Postby sussexpob » Mon Mar 27, 2023 11:36 pm

GarlicJam wrote:you are not seeing a lot then, Sussex


I cant confess to being an expert on the ground swell of Aussie public opinion, but the exposure I have had from the media in OZ during this series has been uniformly positive about Smith being captain. Only one article hinted at the previous ban, but in the most vague, indirect terms (said something like "he should be captain, but we know why he isnt"). Considering the scale and drama of his ban, and how strong opinions were, for him to lead the team in a major series without any kick back or any questions about it - well, for me its all bizarre.

But then, I found the whole initial reaction completely bizarre and OTT too, so maybe the scandal merchants found someone else to tear apart in the meantime.

Then again, you might tell me the government had a parliamentary session about it or what not..... maybe there remains a strong backlash about it in OZ, but it very much appears from further away its been forgotten.
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Re: Oz tour of India, Feb 9 - March 22

Postby GarlicJam » Tue Mar 28, 2023 12:24 pm

Not being Australian, Sussex, you will not have fully comprehended just how savage a blow to the Australian sports loving public this episode was.

Our national team. No other team captures the country like the men's cricket team. The test side. Not universally loved, sure, but still very much loved, admired, respected.
Played the game hard, but fair. No cheating. No ball tampering, and none of that match fixing (proven) went on in Aus, or by Aussies. Not like all of the other countries.

Literally overnight, that changed.

The realisation "we are f*cking cheats" hits very hard.

Not just f*cking cheats. Comically incompetent f*cking cheats. I don't give a rats that other teams have done similar. It hurt the nation. It embarrassed us, greatly. This really is why they got such comparatively harsh punishments from CA.

Probably the worst single thing to happen in Australian sport.

Pragmatism has helped a lot of people, especially those who run cricket in Australia, be willing to overlook this, at the moment. That has added to the people who gave up on cricket because of the ball tampering incident.
Maybe
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Re: Oz tour of India, Feb 9 - March 22

Postby sussexpob » Wed Mar 29, 2023 10:25 am

There is really no way that I can respond to that without risking offence, but before I launch into a reply, I would like to point out that I have been very vocal about the same issues in British society, so this is not an attack on Australian culture....

But, isn't the irony here that the idea of moral exceptionalism in Australian society is so strong, that is probably the bigger social evil in play, rather than the actual cheating? I find the notion that the national psyche of a country being so overwhelmingly convinced in the genuine belief they are morally superior to others as being quite problematic. Those sorts of opinions tend to translate into really sh*tty things when projected to other areas of thought.

As this issue proves, its not true. And the notion Australia are superior because they play hard but fair.... what does fair mean in this sense? Was it fair for Michael Clarke to tell Jimmy Anderson they were going to injure him? Was it fair that Australian umpires tried to wreck Murali's career (and then him have to go through years of abuse from Australian crowds?). Was it fair that the majority of West Indian cricketers in the 70s-90s say they were subjected to racial abuse while playing in OZ? Is that more fair than claiming a catch that went to the ground?

I am sceptical of all forms of political or cultural exceptionalism. I dont see that as a healthy thing in social discourse. Maybe it would be better to have an honest reflection of oneself, and just get on with it. Australians are no less prone to the pressures of performing, and area just as likely as others to cheat.

Its the same in England. Luis Suarez was always a diving cheat, Wayne Rooney was the good old fashioned Brit who never dived.... even though Wayne Rooney dived more than anyone, and cheated all the time
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