Photo via BBC Sport

How an 'absolute fluke' exposed sandpapergate scandal

The infamous Sandpapergate scandal that rocked Australian cricket in 2018 began with a chain of unexpected events during the third Test in Cape Town. According to the director of the live broadcast, Alvin Naicker, the ball-tampering scheme by Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft was exposed purely by chance.

The trio allegedly devised the plan during the lunch break on the third day, exploiting a series of coincidences: a camera operator lingering on Bancroft instead of shifting focus, a slow-motion replay revealing the tampering, and the broadcast’s big screen inadvertently displaying the act to millions worldwide. Despite tensions in the series—including clashes between Warner and Quinton de Kock in Durban and Smith and Kagiso Rabada in Port Elizabeth—no one suspected foul play until Bancroft was caught polishing the ball with sandpaper mid-over, first on his trousers and later in his palm, with the camera zooming in on the suspicious movement.

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