Steve Smith was caught on camera scruffing the batting guard marks, forcing Rishabh Pant to retake his mark during a tense final day at the SCG.
The final day of the third Test between India and Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground was tense and hostile, with the Australian players intensely sledging the Indian cricket team. Rishabh Pant, batting with an injured elbow, was taking the attack to the Australian bowlers as he counterattacked in grand style. Rishabh Pant smashed 12 fours and three sixes in his blazing knock of 97 but during the course of his knock, there was one moment of controversy and it involved Steve Smith. The on-field camera caught Steve Smith scruffing up the guard marks in the batting crease. This forced Rishabh Pant to take his guard all over again. The incident was quickly caught on social media with many people labelling Steve Smith as a cheat.
However, did Steve Smith actually cheat? What is the law related to scruffing of the batting crease. According to section 41.12.1 of the playing conditions in the ICC regarding the pitch and outfield conditions, "It is unfair to cause deliberate or avoidable damage to the pitch. A fielder will be deemed to be causing avoidable damage if either umpire considers that his presence on the pitch is without reasonable cause and 41.12.2, if a fielder causes avoidable damage to the pitch, other than as in clause 41.13.1, at the first instance the umpire seeing the contravention shall, when the ball is dead, inform the other umpire." For the batsman, a crease guard is important for the line of vision as he prepares to face a bowler while it also determines the stance that he will take. In short, it's necessary for a batsman to take guard so that he knows exactly where he is standing and make a better judgement as to play the ball or not. It is a tool for a batsman to know where his stumps are.
This means that the final call will rest with the umpire. Steve Smith would have received his first and final warning. A repeat offence will mean that five penalty runs will be given to the batting side. Tim Paine, the Austraia skipper, said there was nothing sinister in what Steve Smith was doing. "Steve's quite upset about it. That's something Steve's done a lot. It's something we always have a laugh about because he just loves batting so much and even when he's out on the field he's shadow batting and marking centre," Paine said in the post-match presentation.
So, did Smith cheat?
There were former players like Darren Gough and Michael Vaughan who said Steve Smith did cheat and that it was very poor from the Australian star batsman. Even former Australia player Brad Hogg remarked that Steve Smith had no business doing the action as that was a batsman's area and he was not batting. Steve Smith came back to form in grand style when he smashed 131 and 81 in the Sydney Test. However, the ICC playing conditions make it clear. The onus rests with the umpire to deem whether Steve Smith has deliberately damaged the pitch in this action.
Steve Smith will not get banned but a further infringement, unless he has been warned by the umpires for the Sydney Test action, will result in the addition of five penalty runs to the opposition batsman. The four-match series is level 1-1 with the final match to be played in Brisbane on January 15.
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