Cricket Australia Says No to New Ball Tampering Inquiry
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Cricket Australia has ruled out reopening its investigation into the 2018 ball tampering scandal, even though new claims have appeared in a book by player Usman Khawaja.
The organisation said there was no 'compelling reason' to begin another inquiry into the incident. A compelling reason would need to be very strong and important.
The scandal first happened in 2018, when Australian players were caught changing the condition of the ball illegally during a match. This practice is known as ball tampering.
At the time, it caused a major controversy in world cricket and damaged the reputation of the Australian team. Several players received bans because of their involvement.
The story has returned to the news this week because of the release of Khawaja's new book, which contains fresh claims about what happened during the 2018 incident.
Khawaja has said that his reasons for sharing the story were not about making money. He stated that 'this has never been about commercial gain'.
Despite the renewed attention, Cricket Australia has confirmed that it sees no need to reopen the old case. The organisation reviewed the matter again after the book's release.
Cricket Australia is the governing body responsible for managing professional cricket in Australia, including decisions about discipline and player conduct.
The 2018 ball tampering scandal remains one of the most well-known controversies in modern cricket history, and Khawaja's book has reignited public interest in the incident.
It remains unclear whether the new claims in the book will lead to any other response from Cricket Australia beyond its current decision.
Vocabulary10 words
- compelling
- very strong and convincing
- inquiry
- an official investigation into something
- ball tampering
- illegally changing the condition of a cricket ball
- controversy
- a strong public disagreement about something
- release
- when something, like a book, becomes available
- commercial gain
- profit or money made from something
- governing body
- an organisation that makes rules for an activity
- discipline
- punishment or correction for breaking rules
- incident
- an event, often a negative one
- reputation
- what people think about someone or something
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Quiz
Answer key
1. There is no compelling reason 2. It was never about commercial gain 3. True
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Cricket Australia has ruled out reopening its _____ into the 2018 ball tampering scandal.
The organisation said there was no '_____ reason' to begin another inquiry.
The scandal first happened in 2018, when players were caught changing the _____ of the ball illegally.
This practice is known as ball _____.
At the time, it caused a major _____ in world cricket.
Several players received _____ because of their involvement.
The story has returned to the news because of the _____ of Khawaja's new book.
He stated that 'this has never been about _____ gain'.
Cricket Australia is the _____ _____ responsible for managing professional cricket in Australia.
Khawaja's book has reignited public interest in the _____.
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