Cricket clashes between South Africa and Australia carry an extra bit of spice nowadays, after the infamous ‘Sandpapergate’ saga in 2018 when Australian players were caught ball-tampering using sandpaper. With Australia currently touring South Africa for the first time since that series, the home fans have not missed a chance to remind the visiting players about the incident. In a video that went viral on the internet, a South African fan can be seen offering a piece of sandpaper to Australia spinner Nathan Lyon during the third Test in Cape Town.
The incident occured during play on Day 2, when the hosts were batting and the visitors were fielding. WATCH: South Africa fan offers sandpaper to Nathan Lyon What happened in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal? In the Test series between the two nations in South Africa in 2018, Australia’s Cameron Bancroft was caught by cameras rubbing the ball with sandpaper inside his pocket, in order to generate reverse swing.
The fan, who is in the stands closest to the ground, can be seen holding out a piece of sandpaper towards the star bowler. Lyon, on his part, appears to take the joke sportingly, gesturing the fan to come over to the ground and give it to him. The other fans around the area join in on the fun, leading to a sea of laughs, sarcastic jeers and claps.
With the series poised at 1-1, South Africa were put in to bat by Australia. Marques Ackerman (95) and Aiden Markram (78) gave the Proteas a fantastic start, but a six-wicket haul by Mitchell Starc saw them bowled out for 329 in their first innings. Australia went on to take the lead in their first innings, courtesy of big contributions from Matt Renshaw , Cameron Green , Josh Inglis and Alex Carey .
Smith and Warner both had their leadership roles taken away and received 12-month bans after the incident, while Bancroft was handed a nine-month suspension. Bancroft admitted that it was a pre-planned manoeuvre, involving the team’s captain Steve Smith and David Warner . South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test
