South African sports broadcaster SuperSport has taken a dig at Australia ahead of their first Test series in South Africa since the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, also known as Sandpapergate. Australia will face South Africa in a three-match series, with the opening Test scheduled at Kingsmead in Durban on Friday, October 9, at 1 pm IST.SuperSport posted a promo on X ahead of the three-Test series, saying its cameras “will be sharp”. The post included a camera emoji, bringing back memories of the incident at Newlands in Cape Town in 2018.
SuperSport’s cameras caught Bancroft in 2018
SuperSport’s reference goes back to March 24, 2018, when its cameras caught Australian batter Cameron Bancroft working on the ball with a small yellow object during a Test against South Africa at Newlands.The footage showed Bancroft using the object on the ball before putting it down his trousers. The incident led to the ball-tampering scandal that came to be known as Sandpapergate.The footage was shown on the big screen at the ground. Australia’s then head coach Darren Lehmann sent a message to 12th man Peter Handscomb, while the incident quickly became a major talking point in cricket.SuperSport’s cameras had also been asked to look out for anything unusual during the series after the umpires reportedly became suspicious about Australia’s efforts to alter the ball.The broadcaster’s coverage included more than 30 cameras, with 18 operated by camera crews.
Several Australia players return with memories of 2018
Australia’s current squad includes several players who were part of the team during the Newlands scandal.Steve Smith, who was Australia’s captain at the time, is now vice-captain under Pat Cummins. Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon also played at Newlands in 2018. Matthew Renshaw, who joined the squad as a replacement for the final Test of that series, is also back in the team. David Warner has retired, while Cameron Bancroft has not played a Test for more than six years.The scandal has received more attention in the Australian media than in South Africa in recent weeks. However, the team could still face some reminders of the incident during the tour.
Australia return to Newlands for the third Test
South Africa enter the series as reigning World Test Championship winners after beating Australia in last year’s final at Lord’s. Australia, meanwhile, will look to collect points in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle. The second Test will be played in Gqeberha from October 18.The third Test, scheduled to begin at Newlands on October 27, will bring Australia back to the venue where the 2018 scandal unfolded.