Ian Gould, who officiated as the third umpire during the infamous 2018 Newlands Test between South Africa and Australia that has since come to be known for the ball-tampering scandal, said that Australia had been a pretty poorly behaved side well before the controversy.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph ahead of the release of his book, Gunner – My Life In Cricket, Gould called the Australians “pretty average people”.
“If you look back on it now, Australia were out of control probably two years, maybe three years, before that, but not in this sense. Maybe – behavioural, chatty, being pretty average people.”
It didn’t end there, however, as in a trickle down effect, the entire culture of Australian cricket was later scrutinised. Newly appointed head coach Justin Langer ushered the team in a new era under the leadership of Tim Paine in Tests, with Aaron Finch at the helm in limited overs.
