Will this be a major set back for Australia?

It's pretty ironic that Australia who accused SL for ball tampering in the test series of 1995 tour(which was proved fake later) was accused for the same thing by SL this time.

I am not sure whether Siddle has truly done this or not. Its up for Board to make a decision. Yes he has been the one who reported Muralidaran's doosra. I hope this time he would stay on the fair side.

Edit:- Here's a link on what happened in 1995

http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-de...

"On that 1995-1996 tour, the Sri Lankans were accused of ball tampering in Perth and later were exonerated"

Perhaps cricinfo too holds some info on this.

Here is what cricinfo says

http://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content...

"But the controversy that dogged the series began on the second morning, when the umpires decided someone in Sri Lanka's attack had doctored the seam of the ball. The tourists protested vehemently. The umpires failed to impound the ball, so that any evidence was lost, while referee Graham Dowling seemed assured of their guilt before hearing the Sri Lankans' story. They became the first team convicted of ball-tampering in Test cricket, but ICC reversed the finding a fortnight later. "

@Joeblow:- The first link I provided was only to prove that Australians made the same accusation at SL. The article was written by a pro SLankan and I didn't want to give attention to other thing he mentioned which were just frustrations of the writer.

SLns don't hate the country Australia whatsoever. Yes there was a time SL cricket fans hated Australia for what took place between Murali and couple of Aussie umpires and also bcz of the controversies and bitter memories SL went through 1995 & 99 Aus tour. When those thing happen between countries yes the fans start hating. More like most Aussies hate Harbajan for his matter with Symonds. But these rivalries do dry off and cool down as the time goes on. Now I can assure you that as a whole SL cricket fans don't hate Australia like those days. In fact if you watched the Aus Ind match in T20 WC, most of the SL fans were cheering for Australia. Some recent political issues between India and SL have caused this. Whatever.

Even during the days where SL and Aus had lot of bad blood between each other, SLns didn't hate Australia, the country as a whole. They just hated the contents related to cricket regarding Australia. Most of the SLns (be it ckt fans or not) consider Australia as one of the best foreign countries to live comfortably. They consider Australia as their 2nd motherland. Many SLns live happy lives in Australia. Even the former SL cricketer Asanka Gurusinghe who was a part of 1995/96 SL team, lives in Australia with citizenship. No issue between two countries or nations as a whole.

The few SL ppl who are trying to migrate to Australia illegally through boats, well its a different story. Those poor lads looking to earn lot of money and they don't give a damn about cricket or Murali vs Hair or Siddle vs SL ckt management lol. They have real life issues and they want to somehow find much better jobs with high incomes in Australia to feed their families. Some of them have been caught and jailed. Its a real headache for both countries.

So its not about SLns hating Australia or Australia is an awful country. Just a cricketing issues which are neutralized to some extent by now. No hatred between the Aussies and SLns.

Will be interesting to see this proven with actual video or irrefutable photographic evidence. Hopefully when it is proven to be incorrect, Peter Siddle takes the matter to court and then sues the butt off the accuser(s) for defamation of character to set an example of why it is not cool to make false and defamatory claims up. He would have a good case for a good payout.

Got to laugh at some things like on one of the links Dinith Provided. "but when Sri Lanka is not involved in a cricket contest, there’s no better feeling than to see Australia being beaten and that too by such thumping margins." Yet Australia is the country that hoards of Sri Lankan boat people try to gain citizenship and residency in. If Australia was such an awful country to Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan people, they should try to seek asylum in places that are nicer and more welcoming to Sri Lankan people, but I think you will find not many if any are more welcoming to Sri Lankan's than Australia is. I think you will also find that in all the finals losses Sri Lankan fans have endured over recent years, Australian fans are probably the ones that were hoping they'd win other than when they we playing Australia.

@Dinith - it would depend on who it was that spread it to the media as to who could be sued over it. If the Sri Lankan team management were the ones leaking it to the media, the. They have no right to do that so they could face litigation, but if the match referee was the one spreading it then no litigation could happen. People around the world often those with more money than they know what to do with, take matters to court for defamation of character which are far less demeaning than that and often win.

I don't think most Australian fans hate Harbhajan for what he did to Symonds, but more his arrogant and big headed attitude that he displays on the field mostly when he plays against Australia.

I feel even at the time when Murali had his problems with a couple of umpires in Australia, most of the Australian public felt for Murali's embarrassment that he must have felt. Of course you have some people in the crowd who yelled "no ball" every time he delivered the ball, but most the crowd were not that nasty. Like you said times changes things a bit and their is no point in people holding on to incidents that happened many years in the past.

Taking out opposition's premier bowler isnt the right way forward I think..

And seeing Siddle got no finger nails at all suggest that he couldnt've done too much damage either..

Yes.. Rain may save us.. But I hope it'll stay away..

Better watch some cricket than collecting undeserved-weather-helped draws..

Merry Christmas to you too. Irfan is at the moment 1/2-cooked after rehabilitation from primary injury. As of now, there will have to be no fear if Zaheer and Ishant continue to be fit and Yadav is the rookie 1/3 pacer being rather spectacular in his possess rights. I consider Irfan will absolutely make a comeback by way of the 1-Day crew.

May be

I doubt it.Looks like a bit of payback to me.

I think yes.

may be.

maybe oz can do anything for wining