Wrap - Cheating Scandals

1. Sydney Thunder. This BBL franchise is under a hex. If there is a controversy or a way the game can turn on its head, the Chunder will find it. They locate controversy and seem to attract it endlessly. Smoke cancellation... super over losses, rain shortened games... Their season is on the line again and the chances are they will miss out. There is a massive problem with the condition of their home deck (every season!) and they take games to Canberra which is not a lot better. They are the Adaams family franchise...the bad weather follows them.

2. Australia v India. We are still lacking the hammer blow player and are too slow at key times. We rely heavily on our bowlers and with the post 'sandpaper gate' disappearance of reverse swing, it is staggering. We are lacking the killer blow. The Gilchrist Factor. We have come up short with Ashton Agar and Ashton Turner. Neither have the flair or experience on the sub continent. Turner actually had one of the worst IPL seasons on record so it is tough to know why he was chosen for India - and played. Darcy Short was surely a better option. Maxwell, Stoinis, Mitchell Marsh... this slot of accelerating the run rate has been our disappointment for a long time now. Kohli is awesome - averages 96 on the chase!

3. MLB Baseball Controversy. This week saw the demise of the Boston Red Sox manager, Alex Cora, with a dark cloud now hanging over their 2018 World Series win. The LA Dodgers are whining loudly of course too. So you know, a catcher signals  what sort of pitch to throw - disguised from between his legs - taking instruction from his own dugout coaches. They feign and fake signals and secure a clear understanding in the end. The pitcher usually delivers what they are told. Unsighted by the opposition - except if you have a video camera pointed on the opposition catcher. You can get the sequencing and signs and predict what will be thrown.

Electronic messaging of opposition signals to batters - or banging a drum in a certain sequence - allowed them to know what sort of pitch they were about to receive from the opposition pitcher. Cheating by violating the code of baseball and its integrity rankles the US sports fan. The Houston Astros have been punished for their role. The Astros must forfeit their regular first and second-round selections in 2020 and 2021 drafts as well as paying a $5 million fine. However, there is much more to come here I suspect.

Players will spill their knowledge in time...retirees especially. Many players are affected as they were dropped/ traded, etc when the opposition actually was cheating with video footage of their signs. Some others profited.

Going into the changeroom to decode opposition signals is not acceptable either. This is bigger than the steroids revelations of the 1990s - Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, et al. It is like a poker player having knowledge of what is on an opponent's cards!

4. Western Sydney Wanderers. Has there been a team that has fallen in a bigger heap than this lot? Their big crowds and chanting mob have evaporated and their bright start to the season has died. Their coach 'Babbel' has had enough and the crowd have had enough of losing under his lead. Farewell. They need a new ethos. More locals and more talent.

5. More Cheating - English Rugby. What about Saracens? They won four league titles in the last five years and have been doing a Melbourne Storm all along! They should have records adjusted and stripped off them. Saracens will drop into the Championship following their salary cap breaches, but there should be more consequences. We are still waiting for NRL player managers to fall some five years later.

6. NFL. Green Bay v 49ers... Titans v Kansas City... winners to the Superbowl. The Titans have stunned the USA with their two away wins v the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens. The NFL is huge business in the US.

7. UFC. Violent, violent stuff. Conor McGregor is back. Is that a good thing? If only this lot listened to Justin Langer's recommendation for sportstars to 'abandon social media'. Muhammed Ali on Twitter would have been interesting!