They could have been more humble - Wright questions Australia's conduct

Former England all-rounder Luke Wright believes Australia may need to adopt a more humble approach in the wake of the ball-tampering saga.

Published : Mar 30, 2018 15:12 IST

Australia's team culture has come under scrutiny amid the ball tampering scandal and former England all-rounder Luke Wright says they would benefit from being "more humble".

Cricket Australia (CA) will undertake a review of the national side's environment following the fiasco that has resulted in 12-month suspensions for Steve Smith and David Warner and a nine-month ban for Cameron Bancroft.

Bancroft used sandpaper to try to alter the condition of the ball in the third Test against South Africa at Newlands on Saturday, and Warner was deemed to have developed the plan and provided instructions to his team-mate by CA.

Smith's punishment was handed down for having knowledge of what was going on and failing to stop it.

Wright, a runner-up in the Big Bash League with Melbourne Stars in 2015-16, feels a change in attitude should be in the offing for Australia.

He told Omnisport: "There are times when they could have been more humble, watching from afar.

"It's tough at times in cricket when it's not going so well, but you've got to be humble when things are going well for you.

"I think there's that element, when people see it going wrong, they feel they haven't got it quite right."

While Australia has been embroiled in scandal, trans-Tasman rival New Zealand has been held up as an example for how a cricket team should conduct itself. It is a sentiment Wright shares.

He said: "Michael Vaughan mentioned that we can all take a leaf out of the book of how New Zealand have gone about their business, which I think is absolutely fair.

"You never wish for something like this to happen to the game, but the punishments are there and I'm sure some England fans have enjoyed it after what happened at the Ashes.

"But we want cricket played the right way and I'm sure a ban like that will send a message to make sure people are."

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