A Business Ethics Class From Australian Cricket

When an Australian cricketer used sandpaper to tamper with the ball during a match against South Africa in March, his cheating was exposed almost immediately.

The national self-examination triggered by the incident, which led to bans for the captain and two teammates and the resignation of the coach, has taken longer to play out.

An independent review, published this week, blames a culture in Australian men’s cricket of “winning without counting the costs”. This culture led to ethical lapses, bullying and abuse, and a lack of accountability among the sport’s leaders and administrators.

Its recommendations include an ethics commission, a right for umpires to send players off for “sledging” — verbally harassing opponents — and a ban on badly behaved players receiving awards for outstanding performance. On Thursday, the chairman of Cricket Australia, the governing body, resigned.