Pitch-tampering fiasco rocks Western Australia, players banned

West Australian cricketer Sam Fanning has been handed a four-game ban due to his involvement in a pitch-tampering incident last weekend. The 22-year-old will not be available for selection early next season as he was suspended from Premier Cricket for tampering with the pitch. He was found guilty of the same after last weekend’s WA Premier Cricket final between Perth CC and Bayswater-Morley CC at Lilac Hill.

As per ESPNcricinfo, Fanning was caught tampering with the pitch on video, as he was seen scraping his spikes on the protected area of the pitch. The incident took place at the end of Day 1’s play. Interestingly, Fanning had scored 123 off 197 balls before the incident unfolded and later received the Player of the Match award.

“WA Cricket expects high standards of behaviour from all contracted players”
Meanwhile, Western Australia Cricket’s general manager of high-performance Kade Harvey shed his thoughts on the disciplinary action against Fanning and said, “WA Cricket expects high standards of behaviour from all contracted players, on and off the field. We were disappointed to learn of the incident involving Sam, which did not reflect our values. Alongside the penalty, we will work with Sam and provide an education and development plan in line with living our values and making better decisions moving forward.”

Who is Sam Fanning?
Fanning previously represented Australia’s U-19 team and made his Sheffield Shield debut during the 2022-23 season, helping Western Australia to claim back-to-back titles. He notably hit 61 against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground, during a low-scoring match. This was the only half-century of the game on a turning cricket. He also hit a fifty against India during a T20 World Cup warm-up match at the WACA.