Navjot Singh Sidhu wades into ball-tampering "fraud" but refrains from calling for punishment. Here's why

Former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu has aired his views on the massive ball tampering controversy that has engulfed cricket following Australian captain Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft's admission that the latter was trying to change the condition of a ball by using a foreign object during Australia's test match in South Africa.

Sidhu, now a politician serving as a minister in the Congress-led Punjab government, has doubled down on the view that the act constitutes cheating, saying that "It's not only cheating but it's also fraud." 

However, he has urged against 'getting emotional' over the matter as it's a 'gentleman's game', adding that the 'law should be allowed to take action'. 

"It's not only cheating but it's fraud. Let law take its action. Don't feel emotional as it's a gentleman's game and let action be taken."

According to the footage, a small, yellow object was seen in Bancroft's hands after he had worked on the ball, and he was also captured taking it from his pocket and seeming to place it down his trousers. It showed Bancroft seeming to rub the rough side of the ball, the opposite side to which he would usually be trying to shine on his trousers, as is permitted under ICC playing conditions. He appeared to put the object down his pants apparently after being spoken to by the substitute Peter Handscomb, who had come on to the field after speaking to coach Darren Lehmann over the walkie-talkie. When Bancroft spoke to the umpires, he was shown holding a bigger, black cloth rather than the small yellow object he had earlier seemed to place down his trousers.

Following the scandal, Smith and David Warner stepped down as captain and vice-captain, respectively, for the remainder of the third Test against South Africa.

Steve Smith has been handed a one-Test match suspension and fined 100% of his match fee, while Cameron Bancroft has been fined 75% of his match fee and handed three demerit points for breaching Level 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for the ball-tampering incident.

Smith has also been replaced as captain of the Rajasthan Royals by Ajinkya Rahane, though there is no word yet on whether he'll be facing any further punishment in the IPL.