The Laws of Cricket allow for manipulation of the ball to some degree, but there is a definite line that must not be crossed.
A match ball may be polished, providing an artificial substance is not used. A wet ball may be dried with a towel and on rare occasions, mud is allowed to be removed under supervision.
Cameron Bancroft isn’t the first cricketer to be in trouble for ball tampering, but it’s incredibly rare for a team to conspire in the fashion Australia have.
See some early ball tampering incidents in Cricket:
Dirt In The Pocket (1994)
Mike Atherton held onto the England captaincy and avoided suspension but he was fined $A3,700. The young skipper was using dirt, taken from the pitch, to try to keep his hands less sweaty while working on the ball during a Test against South Africa at Lord’s.
Innocent Grass removal 2001
Indian great Sachin Tendulkar was handed a one-match ban by match referee Mike Denness after a game against South Africa in Port Elizabeth. Television footage appeared to show Tendulkar scuffing the seam of the ball, but he was actually only removing a piece of grass. There was serious backlash from Indian fans against Denness after that Indian cricket board refused to accept Denness as the match referee.
Also Read: Australian Vice Captain steps down post cricket ball tampering
Chewing Lolly (2004)
Rahul Dravid has been fined 50% of his match fee, after being found guilty of ball-tampering during India’s 24-run victory over Zimbabwe at Brisbane. Dravid was caught by the TV cameras rubbing a cough lozenge (Chewing Lolly) on the shiny side of the white ball.
The Forfeit (2006)
Pakistan refused to take the field after tea on day four of a Test in England following ball-tampering accusations leveled by umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove. Hair and Doctrove called the match off, awarding England the win via forfeiture.
Stepped on the ball (2010)
TV footage revealed Broad standing on the ball while Anderson was seen picking at the leather. AB de Villiers suggested in a press conference that a formal complaint should be made as there was “quite clearly a piece of leather off the ball after he’d stepped on the ball”, but South Africa never took it forward.
The Bite (2010)
Pakistan star Shahid Afridi was banned from two Twenty20 internationals after being found guilty of ball tampering during a One Day International in Perth.
Standing in as skipper, Afridi was caught on cameras trying to bite and chew the seam.
The Zipper (2013)
Faf du Plessis pleaded guilty to the charge of ball tampering and was fined 50 percent of his match fee. The South African rubbed the ball on the zipper of his pants pocket, prompting umpires to award a five-run penalty against the Proteas.
Not so subtle scratching, 2014
South Africa paceman Vernon Philander was captured on cameras using his fingers and thumb to scratch the ball during a Test in Sri Lanka. Philander dug his nails into the rough side of the ball. He accepted the charge and was fined 75 percent of his match fee.
Mint gate, 2016
South Africa enjoyed a crushing win over Australia in Hobart, after which footage emerged of du Plessis using a mint to help shine the ball. The ICC vowed to investigate and du Plessis was charged with ball tampering.
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