Australian batsman Cameron Bancroft has yet again revived the Sandpaper Gate controversy after he recently admitted that Australian bowlers were aware of what was being done to the ball. Cricket Australia has responded to his claims and have said that they are ready for a re-investigation.
Bancroft’s statement re-ignited the storm, which was weathered a few years back. Responding to his claims, Australia on Saturday said it is open to re-investigate the case. The board also claimed that the investigation conducted at the time was detailed and satisfactory. However, if any new information is presented before them, then they will not hesitate to launch a re-investigation.
“CA has maintained all along that if anyone is in possession of new information in regards to the Cape Town Test of 2018, they should come forward and present it. The investigation conducted at the time was detailed and comprehensive. Since then, no one has presented new information to CA that casts doubt on the investigation’s findings,”
a CA statement read.
Cameron Bancroft was caught using sandpaper on the ball during the fourth and last Test match of the series against South Africa at Newlands. He accepted the offence and was handed a nine-month ban. Moreover, Australian captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were also handed a one-year suspension from international cricket.
Smith and Warner were also removed from their respective leadership roles. However, both the players made a magnificent comeback in international cricket. Bancroft made a comeback as well but was not impressive and was subsequently dropped.
