Former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy has weighed in on the ball tampering controversy during the Australia A v India A tour match fixture in Mackay.

Umpire Shawn Craig informed the tourists of the ball change due to a belief that scratch marks had intentionally been placed on the ball. Craig also put India A wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan on report for dissent after a heated exchange over the decision.

Cricket Australia has since cleared India A and Kihan of any wrongdoing but Healy believes the umpires made the right decision to change the match ball.

“When you see a team complain about a ball being changed, they were up to something,” Healy said on SENQ.

“India A were gearing up for a big reverse swing session in order to get the Australians under pressure.

“Australia were chasing a small total and it just didn’t happen (for India A).

“The Australia A batters were oblivious to it. They just put their head down and performed really well.”

Australia A skipper Nathan McSweeney hit an unbeaten 88 not out and scored the winning runs as the home side won the first of two tour matches against India A.

The 25-year-old Test hopeful said he was unaware of any changes in the ball and was also surprised when he learnt of the umpires’ decision to change the ball.

“To be honest, I can’t really (explain it) at all,” McSweeney said in a post-match press conference.

“I was at the striker’s end and the umpires simply said that they had changed the ball.

“I wasn’t sure what for because I didn’t see any change in the ball.”

SEN Cricket’s Bharat Sundaresan said the umpires acted within the laws of the game and he saw no issue with the umpires changing the ball.

“There is a clause which basically says that if the umpires suspect but are not certain that the ball has been tampered with by the players, they can change the ball without enforcing the five-run penalty,” Sundaresan told SEN 1170.

“The moment you enforce that five-run penalty, it officially becomes tampering and it becomes a major issue.

“During an Indian summer, it would have really blown up.

“It got a bit messy but it looks like now that it has cleared the air.”

The second tour match will be held at the MCG on November 7.