5 Instances when England put ‘Spirit of Cricket’ aside to win matches
Here are the five instances when the England cricket team corrupted the game.
1. Michael Atherton ball-tampering against South Africa in 1994
Michael Atherton found himself in the midst of controversy during South Africa’s tour of England in 1994. In the first Test at iconic Lord’s, Atherton, who was the England skipper then, was accused of ball-tampering. In the match, South Africa were in a commanding position after the first innings, earning a 177-run lead.
On Day 3, Atherton took dust from the surface and put it into his pocket. When the ball was thrown towards him, Atherton took out the dust and coated it onto the dry part of the ball before passing it to Darren Gough, who was England’s premier pacer then. Following the incident, pictures came out which corroborated Atherton’s involvement in ball-tampering.
After the conclusion of the over, a sense of chaos erupted among media persons. At the end of the day, Peter Burge, who was the match referee, called Atherton and asked him to give an explanation and the England captain convinced the match referee that he only dried his sweaty hands using dust. However, Atherton failed to convince the England team management later and faced a fine of 2000 pounds.
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