Ian Chappell’s ball-tampering admission prompts call to end ‘shenanigans’
Former Australian Test captain Ian Chappell was not surprised by comments made by Cameron Bancroft earlier this week.
Bancroft retracted comments alluding to a wider conspiracy around the notorious Sandpapergate incident after outrage from the bowlers implicated.
Chappell told Mark Levy and Ken Sutcliffe Bancroft’s remarks were those of a man “sick of copping all the flak”.
“Anyone who thought there were only three people involved still believes in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.
“Anybody trying to say that that was the only time that it happened with Australia is … kidding themselves.”
Ball-tampering is a “grey area” he argued, admitting he would not necessarily have noticed a member of his own team scuffing a ball.
“I mean Dennis Lillee, we used to say to him every now and again ‘what the hell are you doing mate’ and he’d say ‘I’m just cleaning the grass out of the seam’.”
Chappell proposed an intervention from the game’s governing bodies could put an end to the “shenanigans” once and for all.
Press PLAY below to hear Ian Chappell’s suggestion
Image: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images