Sandpapergate Explained as Australia Return to South Africa — SkimNews
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- Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera using sandpaper to rough up one side of the ball during day three of the third Test in Cape Town in March 2018, initially telling press it was a piece of tape.
- Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft were sent home ahead of the fourth Test and received bans ranging from 9 to 12 months, with Warner hit with a lifetime leadership ban for directing Bancroft on how to use the sandpaper.
- Cricket Australia removed Smith and Warner from the 2018 IPL (Rajasthan Royals and SunRisers Hyderabad), Somerset cancelled Bancroft's county deal, and coach Darren Lehmann resigned despite being cleared of involvement.
- Steve Smith told News Corp he still has flashbacks: "I felt like I was kind of thrown to the wolves through [Johannesburg] airport. I didn't have any support there at all," adding he's tried to "block most of it out of my memory bank."
- Shane Warne, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, and broadcaster Mark Nicholas argued the punishments were too severe, with Warne saying worldwide "hysteria" led to a penalty "not fitting the crime."
- Cameron Bancroft said in a 2021 interview it was "self-explanatory" that bowlers were aware the ball was being altered — a claim Cricket Australia said it remained open to investigating despite originally clearing other players.
- Shaun Pollock predicted South Africa fans would "come dressed up in accordance with 'Sandpapergate'" but told the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast he didn't expect reception to be "over the top or too intense."
Why it matters: Australia haven't played a Test in South Africa since the 2018 scandal, and Bancroft's 2021 suggestion that bowlers were aware leaves a live thread Cricket Australia has pledged to investigate. Smith's raw account of being 'thrown to the wolves' at Johannesburg airport shows the psychological toll that still lingers as he prepares to return.
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