Australia vs India 2017: The ICC should intervene and take the final call, says Steve Waugh on Steve Smith's DRS controversy
What’s the story?
Former Australian captain Steve Waugh has given the benefit of doubt to the current Test skipper Steve Smith over the huge DRS controversy which has hit the cricketing world after Day 4 of the 2nd Test Match in Bangalore.
“It was a fantastic Test match. It’s a shame we are focussing on one incident. I would go with what Steve has said. I would take him on face value. The best part was that the umpires stepped in and stopped at then and there. Looking back Smith will be embarrassed and must have learnt a lesson,” Waugh said during a promotional event today.
The details...
Steve Smith accepted his folly and said that he was sorry about the ‘brain fade’ during the post-match conference. However, Steve Waugh believes that the International Cricket Council should step in and take action accordingly and that he did violate the code of conduct when he looked towards the dressing room for assistance while using the review system.
Waugh also said while he is comfortable taking Smith’ s statement at face value, the ICC should probably look to caution the Australian captain as these things tend to happen during a high-intensity clash and that both teams should look to move on.
In case you didn’t know...
The second Test between India in Australia in Bangalore toppled into a frenzy when Australian captain looked towards the dressing room even as he was mulling reviewing an LBW decision which was given out on the field.
This sparked a massive outrage as umpire Nigel Llong intervened even as Indian captain butted in and made his displeasure very evident. This did not end as Kohli stopped just short of calling the Australians cheat during the post-match press conference where he made it clear that this was not a one-off decision and that he had seen it happen twice while he was batting.
However, the CEO James Sutherland brushed aside all allegations and even called them ‘outrageous’.
What's next?
The ball is now firmly in ICC’s court and the match referee Chris Broad would have to take the final call. The Indian team has already lodged a complaint with Broad over the incident and the turn of events would be an interesting watch.
The BCCI has already thrown its weight behind the Indian captain and they have released a statement clearly, states that the Board is standing behind captain Kohli after looking at the video footages from the match.
Sportskeeda’s Take
The spirit of cricket is a much sought-after term in cricketing circles and hence when such issues surface it is imperative that the governing bodies make a strict observation and restore parity in the scheme of things.
With the ongoing series levelled 1-1 such issues can only take away the sheen from an otherwise brilliant performance on the field.