New Delhi
The sandpaper scandal is a stain on the history of Australian cricket that will never be erased. Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were hit by this scandal during the South Africa tour in 2018. An Indian fan has now scratched the same old wound of Australia. The fan showed sandpaper during the India vs Australia second test played at Adelaide Oval, after which the atmosphere got heated. The Australian audience got irritated when the Indian fan did this. Security officials immediately threw the Indian fan out of the stadium, the video of which is going viral.
‘There was no threat from Indian fans’
It can be seen in the video that the Indian fan has yellow sandpaper in his hand. At the same time, Australian spectators are seen shouting. Some spectators signaled to expel the Indian fan. People are reacting fiercely to the viral video. One user sarcastically wrote, “Only Australian players are allowed to bring sandpaper into the stadium.” Another commented, “Our Indian fans are different from everyone else. He has his own unique style.” Others said, “The fan should not have been thrown out of the stadium, there was no danger from him.” It just reminded me of a dark chapter in Australian cricket.”
What is the sandpaper scandal?
Australian player Bancroft was seen rubbing sandpaper on the ball in the Cape Town Test against South Africa on 24 March 2018. He did ball tampering on the third day of the match. At that time Australia’s captain was Smith and vice-captain Warner. The foul committed on the field was captured on camera, after which Australia was criticized worldwide. Smith and Warner admitted their mistake in the press conference and all three players involved in the scandal had to face bans. Australia had banned Smith and Warner for one year each while Bancroft was banned for 9 months.
The five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) being played between India and Australia is currently tied at 1-1. India won by 295 runs in Perth and lost by 10 wickets in Adelaide. The third Test of BGT will be played at the Gabba Stadium in Brisbane from Saturday (December 14).
