The ball-tampering incident occurred during South Australia’s second innings © Getty Images
Victoria were penalised five runs and the ball was changed after the match officials ruled they were guilty of an act of ball tampering on the third afternoon of the Sheffield Shield final at Glenelg Oval.
After Mark Cosgrove struck a boundary in the 10th over, the Bushrangers’ bowling coach Mick Lewis bent down to retrieve the ball, but took an unusually long time before actually doing so.
When the ball was returned to the field after another boundary in the 12th over, it was inspected by the umpires, Paul Wilson and Mick Martel. They decided that the ball’s condition had been changed illegally and added five runs to South Australia’s second innings score. A substitute ball was then called for.
“The umpires had determined that the condition of the ball had been deliberately altered,” match referee Steve Bernard said. “Under the laws of cricket they imposed the five-run penalty against the Victorian side and replaced the ball.”
Both sides have been penalised for ball tampering in recent years. In 2010, Aaron Finch was fined and the Bushrangers penalised for an instance of tampering against South Australia at Adelaide Oval. The umpires found markings on the ball at the end of the second day’s play and initially reported the entire Victoria team before it was concluded that Finch had been responsible.
In 2014, the then Redbacks captain Johan Botha was suspended for one match after he pleaded guilty to “repeated inappropriate conduct relating to the condition of the match ball” during a drawn match with New South Wales, also in Adelaide.
Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @danbrettig
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo