Cricket Australia likely to re-open Sandpapergate investigation

Some doors, once closed, should not be opened. Cameron Bancroft, one of the guilty of the infamous Newlands ball-tampering scandal has raked the past and opened a closed-door by suggesting that it was “self-explanatory” that bowlers in the Test team had the knowledge about the tampering of the ball.

After being found guilty for the offence, Bancroft was handed a nine-month ban, whereas the other members of the trio, David Warner and Steve Smith, were suspended for a year by Cricket Australia. Notably, Warner was also handed a lifetime ban for captaincy, while Smith for two years.

Meanwhile, in an interaction with the Guardian in Durham where Bancroft is participating in the County Championship 2021, he said that tampering with the ball “benefits bowlers” and hence the “awareness around that is self-explanatory”.

“Yeah, look, all I wanted to do was to be responsible and accountable for my own actions and part. Yeah, obviously what I did benefits bowlers and the awareness around that, probably, is self-explanatory,” Bancroft said. “I guess one thing I learnt through the journey and being responsible is that’s where the buck stops [with Bancroft himself]. Had I had better awareness I would have made a much better decision.”

On being pressed further, he responded, “Uh … yeah, look, I think, yeah, I think it’s pretty probably self-explanatory.”

Even as Bancroft did not take any names, his comment has a direct implication on Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Marsh, all part of the team at that time.

The investigation can be be re-opened with new information: CA spokesperson

Further, in a statement to Fox Cricket on Saturday, a Cricket Australia spokesperson said the investigation has the potential to be re-opened with new information as Bancroft’s indirect, although, groundbreaking revelations raises many what-if questions. What if each team member knew about the plot? What if it was only the Warner-Smith-Bancroft trio that was caught, while others got lucky?

Cricket Australia, meanwhile, has clarified that any new information about the Newlands gate is enough to re-open the investigation.

“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,” said a CA spokesperson.

“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,” he added.