The former Australian international David Warner has called Cricket Australia to explain the happenings when the ball was changed on the final day of the Australia A-India A game.
On the fourth day of the match, umpire Shaw Craig told Indian players on the field before the start of play: “When you scratch it, we change the ball.”
“There will be no more discussion, let’s play. This is not a discussion, you will be playing with that ball.”
Ishan Kishan and the on-field umpire had a heated exchange on the ball change controversy where the wk-batter told the umpire it was a ‘stupid decision’, with the umpire responding that the player would be on the report for dissent.
CA stated after the game which said the ball was changed due to ‘deterioration’ and that no further action would be taken.
Former Australian opener David Warner, who was banned for 12 months for his role in the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, said the incident has been squashed ahead of India’s arrival for the five-match test series against Australia.
“I think the ultimate decision’s with CA, isn’t it?” Warner told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.
“I think they’ve obviously squashed it as fast as they could, given that India’s coming out here this summer.
“But if the umpires deem that something happened, then I’m sure there’ll be a follow-up and I think the umpires or the match referee should be standing here answering those questions.
“The match referee should be coming out and addressing his own staff, who are the umpires, and if they’re sticking by the umpire’s decisions, then you’ve got to stand up for that.
“I think that’s a statement that CA probably need to release.” To which CA denied.
David Warner was banned for a lifetime from a leadership role in Australian cricket for his part in tampering with the ball in the third test against South Africa Cape Town in 2018.
However, his lifetime ban has been lifted by an independent three-member panel saying that he is eligible to lift the ban with immediate effect and was named as Sydney Thunder captain for the BBL 2025.
