Was a verbal warning punishment enough?

This debate is now closed.

The Pakistan team were first caught up in a ball-tampering controversy during their 1992 tour of England, when the reverse swing obtained by Waqar and Wasim Akram enabled them to win the Test series 2-1.

Then England captain Mike Atherton found himself in hot water two years later, when TV pictures showed him apparently rubbing dirt on the ball during a Test against South Africa at Lord's.

And now Akhtar has been found guilty of ball-tampering in the first Test against Zimbabwe.

Where do you stand on the ball-tampering issue?

Ball tampering makes bowling much more interesting and the game itself more exciting. Nobody in their right mind would condone breaking the rules, but if something enhances the quality of the game perhaps it is worthwhile ammending the rules somehow.

Increasing the size of the seam itself might be an option. Cricket must get rid of its parochial nature and perhaps follow the example set by FIA for Formula One this year. Just a thought!
Prateek, USA

Wow! Everyone's got it in for Shoaib! My view is that cricket itself is struggling with the clarity of the laws. A player "must not alter the condition of the ball" - so why does this not include dampening one site of it, drying it, polishing it, rubbing and "cleaning" the seam?

I would suggest that before the sport considers ejecting its finest players the authorities get their act togehter first.
James Harding, UK

If a player of any sport has to cheat to prosper then they should be banned. If it is with the knowledge of any other players in the same team they also should be banned. This includes footballers who 'fall over' at the slightest puff of wind!
Alan, England

Cricket is in danger of losing its long held reputation as being a game for gentlemen. Match fixing has badly tarnished the game, and ball tampering is just as bad. There should be an agreed punishment for this type of cheating, and those who are guilty of it should face suspension.
Mark Hamilton, New Zealand/England

According to the procedure, a player has to be reprimanded first, and that's the best way to go about it. The same was done when Atherton was found guilty and that is exactly how it should be done.

But why a bowler of Shoaib's calibre needs to tamper with ball is beyond my comprehension.
Ashfaq Shah, Pakistan

Nullify the result of the match. Cheats shouldn't profit from their actions.
Paul, UK

Ban Shoaib and sports greatest entertainer will be finished. A reprimand will suffice, but the root of the problem seems to be the way people understand and implement the ambiguous laws regarding ball tampering.
Peter, London, UK

Where is the deterrent when you get a smack on the wrist for what amounts to outright cheating? Cricket has had enough trouble in the past with match fixing, sledging and dodgy delivery actions. There should be a set punishment for ball tampering... regardless of who you are.

Hit him in the pocket and let him sit out a game or two to have a think about why he chooses to cheat...shame!!! Gentleman's game indeed!
Mike, NZ

Clear procedures should be put in place along with appropriate penalties to stop ball tampering. I'm sure that many other players also tamper with a ball, so to penalise one without taking collective action on the whole game would not solve the problem.
Akhlaq, United Kingdom

People who bring such a shame for our country and for the game should be banned for lifetime.
Chisti Mohamad, Islamabad

If it wasn't appropriate for Michael Atherton to be banned, why would it be different in this case?
Peter McFeeley, Ireland

Ball tampering should be treated to the same affect of drugs in sports. This is no way to win a game.
Bala Krishna, UK

A tougher line is needed. There should be a fixed penalty (a five match ban, say) for such infringements - when proven! It also casts a doubt over the result.

Perhaps the match should be declared 'void', or even an automatic win awarded to the non-tampering side.
David, Scotland

Ball tampering is a part of the game. There just needs to be a better line drawn between shining the ball, or even picking at the seam with a fingernail, and applying some kind of external material to change the surface of the ball.

In my opinion, Atherton definitely crossed a line but Wasim and Waqar were just experts in maintaining the condition of the ball for eighty overs.
Duncan, Scotland

If it's illegal to alter the condition of the ball then why is no action taken to stop polishing? If it's ok to polish then it ought to be ok to do the opposite. The law needs to be rewritten.
David Bartholomew, England

The PCB should ban him for at least five matches, for bringing his country and the game to disrepute.
Malcolm Livingston, Saudi Arabia

It's a shame that Akhtar needs to resort to ball tampering. He is undoubtedly Pakistan's current fast bowling star and this news will again call into question what exactly constitutes ball doctoring.
Richard, England

Ban him? You must be joking. What about all the other players who do it? This is the problem with cricket; it's too fussy. Bowling actions, ball tampering, it's all making the game stupid.
Mubashar Rafiq, England

Everyone tampers with the ball, even the substitute fielder when he's on. Does tampering really improve the chance of taking a wicket? Make cricket more interesting and allow some degree of 'playing' with the ball. Controversial yes, but it will improve bowling and batting around the world and attract more potential fans to the game.
Teddy Baxter, UK

Let's hope the Pakistan cricket board and team management have the guts to stand up and be counted and punish the offender internally before the ICC and/or match referee need to be involved. This will send the clearest possible message to the player concerned that ball tampering is totally unacceptable.
Ian, UK

The team should be made to pay as well through a fine/withheld match fees. Cheating has no place in any sport and wins through cheating should be re-written in the record books as a loss.
Stewart Kemp, UK

Cricket has been brought into enough disrepute by all sorts of incidents from ball tampering to match fixing. Players blatantly attempting to cheat, like Akhtar did, should be severely punished. And when I say punished I don't mean an insignificant 10% of his match fee or a series ban but something more severe that would make players think twice before attempting such shameful behaviour.
Rishya, UK

What is ball tampering? A ball can get scratched anywhere whilst play is in progress. I feel that players should be allowed to mess with the ball as this will make the game more fun.

Shoaib is the world's most exciting bowler and a credit to the game of cricket, everybody does wrong as long - as you learn from your mistakes.
Saqib Butt, England

Of course he should be banned, and the entire Pakistani team should be reprimanded for supporting players guilty of such crimes in a game.
Dick Barnes, South Africa

I think you're all being a bit too hard on the lad!
Chris Mair, Brit in Italy

Not only should precise laws exist giving the power to ban such players, but the outcome of any match involving cheating should be declared null and void.

Ideally, therefore, the affair should be dealt with speedily during the course of a match and the player involved prevented from further participation in it: this might focus the captains' and managers' ideas rather more sharply on the issue.
Jeremy Stewart, UK

He should be banned for life and fined. That would send out the right message for a change.
Arslan, UK

Why the Pakistan Cricket Board persists with players such as Waqar and Shoaib, who bring disgrace to the nation, is beyond me. I feel that it is time such players were banned altogether from the national team.

However, it is also the responsibility of the umpires and the match referee to spell out exactly what the crime is and let the media and the public decide if the punishment handed out fits the charge.

Often the headlines concerning the Pakistan team for wrongful doing are pure sensationalism rather than factual and balanced reporting.
Waqar, UK

Whether it's a captain, such as Mike Atherton, or any other cricketer, a severe fine and a match/es ban should be the penalty for ball-tampering or any other similar offence.

Cricket has gone one up on football by having the third umpire and replay, so should now emulate other sports and give out similar punishments to deter such for future behaviour and to keep cricket CLEAN.
Jay Edwards, UK

Akhtar should be banned for at least a few months. No doubt those politically correct people out there will suggest undertones of racism. However, any player caught cheating like this needs punishing.

If Caddick did something like this in the winter then I would equally like to see him brought to heel. Winning by cheating is winning without honour!
Nick Keeley, England

Ball-tampering is a form of cheating, getting an unfair advantage on the other team. As such how can it be allowed to stand with just a warning, surely this will only encourage others to do the same.

Also, what message does it give to kids playing the game?? I think Ahktar should be highly punished for bring the game into disrepute, and show people that it doesn't pay to cheat!
Jonnie Wicks, Peterborough, UK

The powers-that-be in cricket need to stamp this out once and for all. Punishment? Life ban! Kick the guy out the game for good. They need to send a message out to the cricket community that they will not stand for this blatant cheating.

If an accountant doctors his figure, he goes to jail - period. Why doesn't the professional game of cricket have the guts to hand out severe punishments?
Pete, UK

It's suspected on the cricketing circuits that most bowlers ball-tamper in some way or form. The fact is that some are better than others and don't get caught! I think the law needs to change to define what EXACTLY is ball-tampering.
Morgan Wells, UK

Tampering with the ball is a heinous crime of intentional cheating in cricketing terms. Such players should be banned from playing cricket as they can stoop to such levels to win a game. They are the ones who lack any spirit.
Iqbal Qasim, Pakistan

Totally out of order, someone of his talent shouldn't be doing it. He is giving his country and himself a bad reputation. After a good win, something like this leaves a sour taste in the mouth. If he has ball-tampered, then under the laws of cricket he should get a ban for it.

Or was this just a case where the umpires think he has tampered with the ball, because at one stage Ebrahim and Flower were giving the Pakistani bowlers a good hiding, so the ball could have changed or altered its condition.

I think Clive Lloyd should do some explaining, as well as Shoaib Akhtar himself. I personally think if Abdul Razzaq is fit then M Sami and Waqar are good enough there is no need for Akhtar, especially taking into account his attitude during matches, when the country needs him most.
Naheem Bashir, Reading, Berkshire.

Sport is about talent and cheating has no place in it. If somebody can win it by third way, it wasn't a game. I think he should be banned, for the good of cricket before fans lose faith in the cricket spirit.
Natver Patel, UK

Ball tampering must be stamped out, and it is high time that the authorities took a hard line on any player who alters the condition of the ball. Ban him? Yes, for the rest of the series.
John, Birmingham, England