Vaughan ‘pretty sure’ Australia tampered with ball during

LONDON: Michael Vaughan says he is “pretty sure” Australia were tampering with the ball during the recent Ashes series against England as cricket chiefs held crisis talks over the cheating scandal engulfing the sport.

“I can’t believe that this hasn’t happened before,” Vaughan told the BBC. “I look at the amount of tape some of the fielders have worn, particularly during the Ashes series, mid-on, mid-off. (You) don’t have to name names but they know who they are.

“I’m pretty sure that it was going on during the Ashes series. But it wasn’t the reason why England lost 4-0. They still would have lost that series.”Vaughan said Australia had broken an unwritten rule by taking an object onto the pitch to tamper with the ball even though he admitted many teams used “tricks” during matches.

“You’d see the ball get bounced into the rough to create reverse swing, you’d see sweets in the mouth, you’d see saliva put on the ball to try and keep that shine for longer,” said Vaughan.“Is that right? Many will say not, but that’s what has happened in the game of cricket for many, many years and will continue to happen, because it’s very hard to control.” —AFP