HAVING played district cricket in Sydney for 18 years and having never witnessed anything like the cheating carried out by the Australian test team in South Africa, you can't tell me this was done without the knowledge of the other players.

For starters, the bowlers would have felt the difference on the surface of the ball as well as the fieldsmen.

This episode has put a blight not only on Australian cricket but on all Australian sport and shows the world we cannot be trusted to play fair.

The whole Australian test team should lose all of their ill-gotten pays for the third test and banned from playing all forms of cricket for at least 12 months.

They are a disgrace to cricket throughout the world and to sport in general.

How would young players feel playing against these cheats if they are allowed to play in the district competitions?

All we need now is one of our Commonwealth Games athletes to test positive to drugs and find ourselves banned from world sports like the former East Germany Olympic teams and now Russia.

These players talk of playing for Australia and wearing the baggy green cap - what a load of rubbish.

This proves they are only interested in winning at all costs and their exorbitant payouts.

They got their demands last year only to let down the Australian cricket public very badly.

J. REIBELT

Nambour