Steve Smith slams BCCI for releasing one sided audio footage of Wade-Jadeja convo

Australian all format captain Steve Smith, in his book ‘The Journey’, poured his heart out on a variety of issues in his cricketing career. One such instance was about the conversation between Matthew Wade and Ravindra Jadeja during the 4th Test at Dharamsala.

Smith slammed BCCI for releasing one-sided audio footage of the entire saga and pointed out that the International Cricket Council (ICC) prohibits the broadcasters to release audio captured on stump microphones when the ball is dead.

“It was an example of the banter that took place on the field, but it gave a very one-sided view of what was happening. There would have been plenty of examples that could have been released of Indian players engaging with me and my team, such as when they were constantly in the ears of Matt Renshaw when he resumed his first innings in Pune having had to retire ill because of diarrhoea,” recalled Steve Smith about the incident during the First Test.

“Ian Gould asked Matthew and Ravindra to cut it out in Dharamsala and that was where it ended. So to rake it up in the way that it was benefited no-one,” further stated the Rising Pune Supergiant captain. During the conversation, it was evident that the wicketkeeper was asking the meaning of a common Hindi slang which Wade believed Jadeja gave during the match.

You can watch the video here:

“What was overlooked in the minor controversy that followed was that, under ICC guidelines, the broadcaster shouldn’t have been broadcasting audio from the stump microphones, except for instances when the ball was in play, and it certainly wasn’t when Matthew Wade and Ravindra were having their discussions,” wrote Smith.

“But whatever the rights and wrongs of the situation, it was a timely reminder to players of both sides that the old adage of what happens on the field, stays on the field, no longer applies,” concluded the 28-year old.