Border backs Aussies' focus on winning

The recently published cultural review of Australian cricket concluded that Cricket Australia should share the blame of the ball-tampering scandal for creating a 'win at all costs' climate. Former players like Ian Chappell and Greg Matthews seemed to agree with the conclusion, while the Australian Cricketers' Association called for a reduction of the bans imposed on the tampering perpetrators -- Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft -- during the Test against South Africa in March.

However, one of the most hard-nosed Australian captains, Allan Border seemed puzzled about  what exactly the review was espousing, implying that winning is what it is all about at the highest level. 

"I'm not too sure what to make of all that [criticism of the win at all costs mentality], because once you get to this level of sport, isn't it about winning?” Border asked while speaking to Fox Sports yesterday.

 “Yes, how you win is very, very important, but it is about winning. And I don't think we're going to tolerate having 11 great blokes out in the field and not winning any games. That won't last, it's not sustainable.

“You play hard and you play fair but you play to win. At this level it's as simple as that.”

Contrary to the general outpouring of sympathy for the banned trio in the wake of the review, Border refused to blame the board, saying that the players were fully responsible.

“Look, there's been a bit of a fall-out as far as the administration goes, but the players are the ones who committed the offence and they knew what they were doing,” he said. “It's not as if they woke up one morning and this has just happened. Ball tampering as far as I'm aware has been going on for quite a long time, and not just from Australians.

"The players knew what they were doing, so I'm not sure whether you should link players and administrators just on that alone.”

“We've lost our way a little bit in recent times but it's quite easy to address all that, and maybe it's a report like this that gives everyone a good kick in the backside as to where we've got to, and where we need to get to in the future.”