Biases Are Overtly Transparent: Twitter On Smith’s One-Match Ban

Twitter users express their disappointment over Steve Smith’s one-match ban.

On Sunday evening, Australia captain Steve Smith was handed a one-match ban and fined 100 percent of his match fee from the ongoing Test between Australia and South Africa. This was on account of his part in the team’s plans to tamper with the ball on Day 3 in Newlands.

Opener Cameron Bancroft, who was caught actually tampering with the ball, was fined 75 percent of his match fee and handed three demerit points.

Causing quite a stir among cricket fans on social media, the news of the penalty given received a flood of reactions. Here’s a sneak-peek:

“A One-Match Ban?!’’

wow @ICC wow. Great treatment nd FairPlay. No ban for Bancroft with all the evidences whereas 6 of us were banned for excessive appealing in South Africa 2001 without any evidence and Remember Sydney 2008? Not found guilty and banned for 3 matches.different people different rules

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) March 25, 2018

One test ban for #SteveSmith for accepting to orchestrate the ball tampering saga. Its like trying to organize a bank robbery - but getting away with a slap on the wrist because they got caught and nobody got hurt!

— Amritesh (@amriteshb) March 25, 2018

Who else thinks that Steve Smith deserves a ban of at least two years?

— Arjun Bhardwaj (@ArjunB_74) March 25, 2018

So KG bumps Steve Smith’s shoulder and gets a two match ban from the ICC but Smith admits to cheating and gets a one match ban, the ICC is not even worried about looking unbiased #SAvAUS #SandpaperGate

— Josh Gedye (@JoshGedye) March 25, 2018

Dissappointing news coming out that Steve Smith has been given One match ban so frustrated i have become can't explain

— Aussie fan (@rajeshsmart) March 25, 2018

“Not Harsh Enough...”

Steve Smith fined 100% match fee and 1-Test ban. Bancroft gets 75% and 3 demerit points.

Ummm pic.twitter.com/QF8vKS2qLT

— Misfortune Cookie (@poisonaavi) March 25, 2018

ICC bans Steve Smith for 1 Test and fines him 100% of his match fee
Cameron Bancroft gets 3 demerit points and a 75% fine for the ball tampering incident - which I remind you was an orchestrated and deliberate action

Not harsh enough #SAvAUS
Where’s @AdvDali_Mpofu @OfficialCSA

— Cindy Poluta (@CindyPoluta) March 25, 2018

1 test match ban and 100% match fee for such an act of gross misconduct!!! Fairness seems to be a word not in the dictionary of #ICC #SAvAUS #SteveSmith

— Anurag Shrivastava (@anurag0308) March 25, 2018

Kagiso Rabada brushes shoulders with Smith and the @ICC jump at the chance to ban him for 2 matches.
Smith admits to premeditated cheating as a team and ball tampering, and gets a 1 match ban. #SAvAUS pic.twitter.com/mAcLZmUvgY

— Ben Karpinski (@followthebounce) March 25, 2018

What About Rabada?

1 match ban for Smith for masterminding ball tampering. Rabada had got 2-match ban for fracas with Warner. Imagine! ICC must reexamine rules

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) March 25, 2018

What the hell @ICC? How is this this so called punishment on Steve Smith even fair? 2 match ban for Rabada and 2 demerit points for the white guy? Racism at its finest. Or is it the money talking?

— Red (@delicatestorms) March 25, 2018

Catching up with cricket. I'm a huge fan of Smith, but this calls for a life ban. This was blatant cheating. They only fessed up because they were caught red-handed. This is like matchfixing: a betrayal of the game.

If this was Kenya's captain, what punishment would he have got?

— Amit Varma (@amitvarma) March 24, 2018