Originally Posted by
Peter
Ball tampering is not one, flat thing. As others have explained, all teams 'tamper' with the ball to some extent- shining, saliva etc. This is legal and established practice across cricket. THe deliberate and premeditated use of a 'foreign object', in this case sandpaper (not tape), to alter the condition of the ball and achieve reverse swing is not commonplace and is very much cheating. It isnt difficult to spot either, given the amount of cameras around the ground at a test match.
This doesnt compare to forms of cheating like diving, shirt pulling, fouls etc. THoseforms of'cheating' do exist in cricket- bowlers deliberately running on the pitch, bowlingwide on the crease, excessive appealing, bowling constant bouncers at tailenders, moving a fielder slightly once the bowler has commenced his run up, talking during the run up to disrupt the batsman. These are effectively forms of bending the rules but are left to the umpires to manage.
THere isnt really an equivalent to ball tampering in football. Maybe if a goalkeeper used a specific resin on his gloves to make the ball stick better....?
THis level of ball tampering can dramatically alter the way the ball behaves and have a significant effect on the game.