CRICKET – Australia play their first Test in South Africa since the 2018 ball-tampering scandal when they start a three-match series in Durban tomorrow, with the visitors unlikely to face more than a few heckles over the incident that rocked the sport eight years ago.
The tourists’ efforts to roughen up the ball using sandpaper, and aid reverse swing, in Cape Town in March 2018 were caught on camera and led to a major reckoning for the game in Australia, with captain Steve Smith among those banned for their role in the subterfuge.
South Africa have played Tests in Australia since ‘Sandpapergate’, and Australia have toured South Africa in the interim for limited-overs internationals.
The scandal has attracted little media focus in South Africa over recent weeks in comparison to the attention devoted to the incident in the Australian press.
After dethroning Australia last year in a thrilling World Test Championship final at Lord’s to win a first major title, South Africa are focused on improving their chances of a return to the final at the end of the 2025–27 WTC cycle.
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