Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has opened up about Australia’s infamous Sandpaper Gate scandal, saying he felt sorry for Cameron Bancroft and believed Cricket Australia handled the controversy poorly.
The incident took place during the 2018 Cape Town Test between Australia and South Africa. Bancroft was caught on camera attempting to alter the condition of the ball using sandpaper, triggering a major crisis in Australian cricket. Captain Steve Smith and senior batter David Warner were subsequently punished, along with Bancroft.
Speaking on the ‘Beyond the Boundary’ podcast with former South Africa pacer Vernon Philander, du Plessis said his first reaction after seeing Bancroft was sympathy. He suggested the young batter appeared unsure about what he was doing and had been placed in an extremely difficult situation.
Du Plessis also questioned the way the Australian team handled the initial public response. He said the delay before the press conference and the statement that followed created even more controversy.
According to du Plessis, the incident was made much bigger by the involvement of Australian political leaders and the intense public criticism faced by the players. He recalled sending Steve Smith a message during the crisis, believing that the former Australia captain was trying to take responsibility for the situation.
Smith and Warner were eventually banned for 12 months, while Bancroft received a nine-month suspension. Smith and Warner were also removed from their leadership positions.
Du Plessis argued that the punishment could have been less severe. In his view, the International Cricket Council could have handled the matter through financial penalties and other disciplinary measures rather than keeping the players out of cricket for an entire year.
He also criticised the involvement of politics in the sporting controversy, saying it created additional pressure on Cricket Australia to take strong action.
Du Plessis stressed that ball tampering was not something unique to the three Australian players involved. He felt that Bancroft, being the player caught on camera, ended up carrying a particularly heavy burden.
The Sandpaper Gate episode remains one of the most controversial moments in modern Australian cricket. Years later, du Plessis’ comments have once again brought attention to the pressure faced by Bancroft, Smith and Warner during the fallout.
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