Australians are finally waking up to their cricketing hypocrisy

The only thing, as a modern-day Macauley might observe, more ridiculous than the British public in one of their periodic fits of morality is the Australian public acting in just such a fashion. To which we might also add that the spectacle of Australia melting itself in an orgy of cant and humbug cannot avoid being hilarious. 

Thus far, the ball-tampering scandal rocking Australian cricket has resulted in the dismissal of Steve Smith, the country’s captain, David Warner, his deputy, Cameron Bancroft, the latest Australian opening batsman, and Darren Lehmann, the team’s coach. Given how high this goes, there’s an argument for James Sutherland, the chief executive of Cricket Australia, falling on his stumps too. But why stop there? This is a matter of culture, we are told, as well as one of integrity and all Australians are implicated. So I see no reason why Malcolm Turnbull, the Australian prime minister, should not resign too. 

That would be a suitably ludicrous coda to a scandal that is much more entertaining than it is scandalous.