Photo via CricTracker

Langer defends Smith and Warner over Sandpapergate, blasts South African documentary as 'smug'

Former Australia coach Justin Langer has reignited the Sandpapergate controversy ahead of Australia’s return to South Africa for Test cricket, defending suspended players Steve Smith and David Warner while criticizing a South African documentary about the 2018 incident. Speaking on the *In The Middle With Watto* podcast, Langer argued that Smith, Warner, and Cameron Bancroft faced disproportionate blame, not only for Australia but for cricket globally, claiming reverse swing—once a dominant tactic—has since declined in prominence.

He dismissed the documentary as smug and expressed outrage at the treatment Smith and Warner received during their return to England for the 2019 World Cup, calling it among the worst adult behavior he’d witnessed. Langer also backed former England cricketer Andrew Flintoff’s 2018 defense of Australia, framing the criticism as hypocritical given ball-tampering’s history across multiple nations.

Up nextCricket· 34m ago

Fleming to Develop English Coaches During England Tenure