LEFT ARM OVER
NEIL MANTHORP: Abrasiveness on the pitch is out of character for Aussies
By all accounts the Australian cricketers who are still in SA will return home on Wednesday not to a lukewarm reception but to one of lingering animosity from an Australian public that has been brutal in its judgment not only of the three convicted and banned ball-tamperers but of the national team as a whole. The sandpaper, however, was responsible for the tiniest fraction of this outrage and opprobrium. It was the tip of the iceberg and the straw that broke the camel’s back at the same time. Australian cricket lovers could tolerate the vulgarity of their superstars because they were winning — regularly. But there were a few moments when results slipped and the simmering undercurrent of dissatisfaction became obvious.Not that the cricketers acknowledged it. And if they did it was with withering disdain. Steve Waugh was furious rather than defensive when his brilliant Test and one-day team — which swept all before them with a world record sequence of Test victories — were dubbed not...
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