AUSTRALIA PLAY BY THE RULES

AUSTRALIA PLAY BY THE RULES

Please sign this e-petition if you feel that:
(i) Adam Gilchrist, the opening batsman for Australia, played unfairly in using a performance enhancing device to reach 149 off 104 balls in the finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.
(ii) The ICC should discipline the Australian Captain and Adam Gilchrist for their unethical and unsporting actions.
(iii) There are double standards that come into play when dealing with coloured and white players (when Gilchrist uses a performance enhancer it is laughed off when Muralitharan of Sri Lanka uses a unique bowling style it is illegal and must be investigated thoroughly) Imagine how Australia would have screamed if a player from the sub-continent had done what Gilchrist did.

BACKGROUND INFO:
Adam Gilchrist, the opening batsman for Australia admits to the correspondent, Bridgetown, Saturday, AFP of using a squash ball concealed inside his bottom hand glove. Using a squash ball enclosed inside the glove is illegal as it results in catapulting the ball further than it would otherwise travel, thereby playing a significant role in assisting Gilchrist to accumulate a score of 149 runs in the one day cricket finals at Barbados.

The Captain of the Australian team was aware of the use of this performance enhancer and SHOULD in the spirit of the game of cricket, have brought it to the notice of the Umpires, before the game got started.

The use of the squash ball in the glove is the equivalent of using a spring action to propel the ball further. When a batsman hits the cricket ball, the air inside the squash ball gets pressurized or deformed, releasing energy that is transferred directly to the bat, resulting in a catapulting effect on the cricket ball (This was clearly seen by spectators watching Gilchrists batting).

Please sign to DEMAND THAT ACTION BE TAKEN BY THE ICC in resolving this matter by disciplining those concerned: