Atherton, however, questioned whether ball-tampering deserved its reputation as a major cricketing sin.
"It has gone on since the year dot...The level of moral indignation is always slightly out of kilter with the offence. If the condition of the ball is changed, you get a five-run penalty and change the ball. That hardly sends the message that this is a heinous crime
"The (International Cricket Council) code of conduct has four levels and this is level two. If the game thinks ball-tampering is a very serious offence, give it a level four."
Above is a little excerpt from the Atherton article where he describes the gravity of the offence.
