Ball-Change Controversy at Mackay Cricket Match

"YOU SCRATCH it, we change the ball." With these words, which were inadvertently caught by the stump mic on Sunday (November 3), umpire Shawn Craig commenced a controversy which seemed more like a ball-change issue than ball tampering, during a match at Mackay. The issue took centre-stage even as Nathan McSweeney shored up his chances of becoming the next Test opener for Australia by steering Australia A to a resounding victory over India A. 

The reason why the umpires' decision wasn't marked as "tampering" most likely relates to their decision to not enforce the "five penalty runs," according to the MCC laws of the game. 

The Australia A vs India A match is governed by Cricket Australia's rules for the Sheffield Shield and Second XI matches. These rules permit the umpires to change the ball with no obligation to enforce a penalty. As per usual, these specific match rules supersede the MCC laws of the game. 

To put it simply, the umpires in Mackay weren't "certain" that the ball's condition was unjustly affected by India A players, even though they may have suspected it. "Ball tampering" is a Level 3 breach that could result in a ban for the captain or implicated players. 

This slightly more nuanced explanation under CA's playing conditions, as opposed to the law book, might be why the incident didn't become a larger issue - one that involves "ball tampering". Nonetheless, it caused significant confusion both on and off the field once the ball was replaced. 

The controversy began just before the first over of the day when the visiting team noticed that the ball had been replaced overnight. Led by captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, some of them protested umpire Craig's decision. A few even questioned why the match officials hadn't replaced the ball the previous evening instead of overnight.