Graeme Smith hits out at 'double standards' of Australian cricketers post-IPL halt

Australian players have been transported to Maldives while the country maintains ban on travellers from India, including own citizens, till May 15

South Africa's Director of Cricket and former captain, Graeme Smith, lashed out against “the double standards” of some players who were taking part in the Covid-19-hit Indian Premier League (IPL).

Smith’s comments come in the light of IPL 2021’s suspension after a number of players and staff tested positive for Covid-19, three months after Australian players pulled out of a three-test tour in South Africa, citing “unacceptable” level of health and safety risks for its team from the ongoing pandemic.

"You see some of those players sitting there at the IPL and not making any noise. Having had experience of things here you do see some things differently, and [you see] a version of double standards. It's disappointing," Graeme Smith said in a virtual press conference earlier this week.

Cricket Australia’s move to leave the South African test tour high and dry in February ruffled a few feathers in the host nation’s cricket board, which said it suffered a substantial financial blow as a result and wrote to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to consider compensating less-wealthy cricketing nations when scheduled tours do not take place.

Australian players, coaching staff and match officials have been transported to Maldives following the suspension of the IPL while Australia maintains a ban on travellers from India, including its own citizens, until May 15. Southpaw Michael Hussey, who has tested positive for the virus, will remain in India under the care of Chennai Super Kings for the time being.

Australia’s refusal to let its own players return home, drew harsh criticism from some corners. Cricketer-turned-commentator Michael Slater went as far as to say Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had “blood on [his] hands”.

Though Graeme Smith expressed his displeasure at the alleged hypocrisy of some in the Australian contingent, he said the blame should not be pinned squarely on the organisers of the event, as no Bio-Secure Environment (BSE) is ever foolproof; there's always an unpredictable element of risk given the massive surge of cases in India.

"In no way would we judge. Having spoken to the players, they felt safe. They felt the BSE was a really good experience in India. They never felt at risk. But that's the nature of what Covid brings."

The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) stands to lose more than Rs 2,000 crore as a result of the event’s postponement. President Sourav Ganguly has defended the decision to hold the event in the midst of a raging pandemic, although he has admitted that he did not know how the bio-bubble was breached.