Of Cricket's ball-tampering scandal and Mohammed Salah 'for president'

Here’s a chronicle of the week in sport:-

Cricket has been facing one of the toughest weeks in its history as the backlash continues over Australian ball-tampering scandal.

What happened? A Test Cricket Match between South Africa was underway in Cape Town, pitting the hosts South Africa and visiting Australia. Then South African television footage of Australian fielder Cameron Bancroft hastily putting a mystery yellow, seemingly sandpaper-like device down the front of his trousers rocked.

One of SuperSport’s cameras suddenly focused on Bancroft appearing to remove a sharp-looking item from his right pocket and fairly hastily ram it down his pants.

He was then, after a brief discussion between the officials called over by the umpires – along with his captain Steve Smith.

Bancroft then produced from a pocket rather than where the device had been buried, what looked like a piece of cloth used to clean sunglasses or as a handkerchief.

It was later revealed that the player used a sandpaper to tamper with the ball. Bancroft’s actions saw his Captain Steve Smith and Vice Captain David Warner banned by the international cricket council ICC, because they were complicit in carrying out the cheat.

The now disposed Captain Steve Smith made a public apology on Thursday and broke down in tears throughout a five-minute press conference.

Moh Salah ‘for president’

One Egyptian voted for footballer Mohamed Salah on Wednesday as the Arab world’s most populous country held a three-day presidential election tipped for incumbent President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi who was running against an obscure, last-minute opponent, Mousa Mostafa Mousa.

Crossing out the names of both Presidential candidates on the ballot, the unknown voter wrote down Salah’s name in Arabic and drew a picture of a small football directly beside it.

The voter topped it off with a check mark next to the symbol and name of the Liverpool forward, who is currently the English Premier league’s top scorer. On Tuesday Salah was on the bench, as his team lost to Greece 1-0 in an international friendly. Salah has so far amassed 36 goals in 41 appearances for Liverpool.