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Getty Images / Was Hansie Cronje responsible for the biggest scandal in Test cricket's history? On Friday, Australia will play their first Test in South Africa since the sandpapergate scandal rocked the cricketing world eight years ago. To mark one of the biggest controversies the game has ever seen, Test Match Special asked you which is Test cricket's biggest scandal. Ten of the most notorious scandals in Test cricket were picked out by a TMS panel and readers of the BBC Sport website then ranked them. The results have been revealed on the TMS podcast by BBC chief cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew, former England fast bowler Steven Finn and TMS scorer Andy Zaltzman. The full results are below and you can listen to the podcast here. 10. The forfeited Test Getty Images / England players pick a new ball during the 2006 Test against Pakistan Pakistan had already lost the series in England in 2006, yet were cruising to victory in the final Test at The Oval. However, Australian umpire Darrel Hair asked for the ball to be changed midway through the afternoon session on the fourth day. Ball-tampering was suggested and Pakistan refused to play after tea. The match was abandoned and years later awarded to England, after some back and forth. Agnew: "Pakistan weren't accused of ball-tampering, they were found guilty of ball-tampering, on the field, without any opportunity to defend themselves. The rule at the time was if the umpire on the field suspected ball-tampering, the ball was changed and penalty runs were awarded. It didn't feel fair." Zaltzman: "It ended up with England awarded the Test so therefore they won the series 3-0. It means that whenever we look at the biggest first-innings deficit overturned to win a Test, this game comes out on top - 331 runs. It irritates me slightly." 9. Mike Gatting and Shakoor Rana Getty Images / Mike Gatting, centre, later said he regretted the Shakoor Rana incident England's Test match against Pakistan in 1987 was stopped mid-game for more than 24 hours when the tourists' skipper Mike Gatting became embroiled in a row with home umpire Shakoor Rana. Agnew: "I'm a bit surprised this is so low. The knock-on was England didn't tour Pakistan for many years. England felt they were being stitched up by Pakistani umpires. There was a total lack of trust, going both ways, between England and Pakistan for a very long time." Zaltzman : "This was before neutral umpires and there was a sense umpiring wasn't quite as fair as it could have been, which all exploded in that moment." Finn: "It blows my mind that there weren't neutral umpires. My first summer of Test cricket had DRS and neutral umpires." 8. George Davis is innocent Getty Images / Australia's Ian Chappell (left) and England captain Tony Greig examine the damaged Headingley wicket in 1975 The third Test in the 1975 Ashes was abandoned when the pitch was vandalised overnight by supporters of George Davis, who had been jailed for armed robbery the previous year. "George Davis is innocent" was written on the wall around Headingley. Finn: "I can't fathom turning up to a Test match and the pitch - the most sacred, untouchable of places - it's staggering that people managed to do that." Zaltzman: "It highlights how vulnerable cricket is to this sort of thing. A small bit of the field is damaged and the whole game has to be abandoned." Agnew: "There was no security. These days, the grounds are locked down. It was set up for an England win, but could have been a really good game of cricket. It's a bizarre story." 7. World Series Cricket Getty Images / West Indies players sit on a balcony during World Series Cricket When Australia's richest man, Kerry Packer, failed to boost the ratings of his Channel Nine TV network with live cricket, he created his own product: World Series Cricket. The plan was simple - Packer recruited the best players in the world to stage his own matches. Agnew: "Virtually everything you see about modern cricket can be traced back to World Series. It was incredible, innovative and exciting. I was 18 years old, playing club cricket in Melbourne and captivated by the coverage." Finn: "There's a similar revolution going on at the moment with T20 leagues allowing players to drift away from Test cricket. The temptation to be involved in something new and exciting would have been very interesting." Zaltzman: "It was extremely high-calibre cricket, but not even counted in first-class statistics, let alone Test stats. I don't really see it as a scandal at all, it was more cricket growing up. This really modernised the sport." 6. Dirt in the pocket Getty Images / Atherton, right, considered resigning but escaped with a fine and remained captain for another four years In the 1994 Lord's Test against South Africa, Michael Atherton was caught by TV cameras rubbing dirt on the ball. Atherton's explanation was that he was trying to maintain the condition of the ball, rather than alter it. Trouble was, he told the match referee he was using the dirt to keep his hands dry. Agnew: "This was a really tough time. I've thought about this a lot over the years and I'm not sure Michael knew the rules at the time - cricketers often don't. It's OK to rub your hand in the dirt, but you can't put soil on to the ball. It was a huge story. It was everywhere." 5. Pakistan spot-fixing Getty Images / Salman Butt leaves court during the Pakistan spot-fixing trial Our top five kicks off with the Pakistan spot-fixing scandal of 2010, when no-balls deliberately bowled in the Lord's Test ultimately resulted in three of the tourists' players - team captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir - spending time in jail. Finn: "This was my first summer of Test cricket. It was such a weird atmosphere. We were warming up, looked up to the Pakistan dressing room and there were two officials in suits and blazers reading the News of the World. That was the day we went on to win the game. We didn't celebrate any of the

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  • 发布时间：2026/10/7 13:24:50