If there’s any considerable amount of sympathy being thrown in the direction of the ball-tampering Australian Test side it has to be towards opener, Cameron Bancroft, who was used by the more senior players as somewhat of a hitman in carrying out the dirty work.
After the 25-year old was literally caught with his pants down on Saturday, the third day of the Newlands Test against South Africa, captain Steve Smith was quick to say it was the first instance of ball tampering his side have been involved in.
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“You can ask questions as much as you like but I promise you this is the first time it has happened,” Smith said during a media conference held after the day’s play.
However, damning footage from the recent Ashes series against England reveals that Bancroft may not have been a first-time offender.
In the video, the batsman is seen scooping a spoonful of sugar into his pants pocket during a break in play.
Here’s Cameron Bancroft appearing to put sugar in his pocket against England in January… pic.twitter.com/ju6W47PECc
— David Coverdale (@dpcoverdale) March 24, 2018
Australia went on to win the Ashes in rather convincing fashion, routing a hapless English side 4-0 in the five-match series.
Following the latest incident, questions have sprung up over whether the Aussies’ only win so far in the current series was all above board.
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In the opening Test at Kingsmead, the visitors, led by Mitchell Starc employed reverse swing to great effect as they registered a 118-run victory. Vice captain, David Warner has also raised eyebrows on his own with his rather unusual strapping on his fingers also being questioned.
For his part in the latest incident, Bancroft was docked 75% of his match fee, while his skipper received one-match ban as well as a 100% fine of his pay, meaning he will play no further part in the rest of the series.
With TheSouthAfrican.com