The ball-tampering scandal that rocked world cricket resulted in three Australian players receiving lengthy bans for their roles in attempting to alter the condition of the ball during a Test match. As Australia prepare for their first Test series in South Africa since the incident, the controversy remains one of the darkest chapters in the sport’s history.
The Incident
The scandal unfolded during the third Test in Cape Town in March 2018 when Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera attempting to rough up one side of the ball with sandpaper to make it swing through the air. After realising he had been spotted, Bancroft tried to hide the sandpaper in his trousers, initially claiming it was a piece of tape.
At the end of day three’s play, Bancroft and Australia captain Steve Smith admitted to ball-tampering in a press conference, though not initially to using sandpaper. Smith stated the plan had been devised by the ‘leadership group’ at lunch.
Immediate Consequences
Smith and vice-captain David Warner stood down from their leadership roles for the remainder of the Cape Town Test but continued playing. Under new captain Tim Paine, Australia collapsed to 107 in their second innings, suffering a 322-run defeat. Warner top-scored with 32, Bancroft made 26 and Smith managed just seven.
All three players were sent home before the fourth Test, which Australia lost by 492 runs to fall 3-1 in the series. Cricket Australia found each player had engaged in conduct against the spirit of the game and harmful to its interests.
The Punishments
Warner received the harshest penalty after being found to have led the plot and guided Bancroft on how to use the sandpaper. He was banned for one year and told he would never be considered for a leadership position within the team again.
Smith was also suspended for 12 months for failing to prevent a plan he knew about and making misleading comments. He was informed he could not take a leadership role until at least 12 months after his ban concluded.
Bancroft received a nine-month ban from international and domestic cricket.
Wider Fallout
Smith and Warner were removed from the 2018 IPL, where they were due to play for and initially captain Rajasthan Royals and SunRisers Hyderabad respectively. Bancroft saw Somerset cancel his county cricket deal.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann, now coaching Northamptonshire in county cricket and having led them to the 2026 T20 Blast title, was cleared of any involvement but resigned after the fourth Test against South Africa.
Without the three banned players, Australia lost Test series away to Pakistan and at home to India before a 2-0 win in Sri Lanka preceded their 2-2 Ashes draw in England in summer 2019.
Were The Bans Too Harsh?
Some argued the sanctions were too severe, including former India internationals Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh, broadcaster and ex-Hampshire captain Mark Nicholas, and the late Shane Warne.
Leg-spin legend Warne, who died in 2022, said while it was “embarrassing” for Australia to be caught up in the scandal, he felt worldwide “hysteria” led to a punishment “not fitting the crime”.
Smith and Bancroft gave emotional press conferences upon returning to Australia. Bancroft later admitted he had considered quitting and becoming a yoga teacher during his enforced break from the game.
While all three players represented Australia again, Bancroft’s international career arguably never truly recovered. His two Tests at the start of the 2019 Ashes remain his last international matches.
Warner, who retired from internationals in 2024, applied to have his lifetime captaincy ban lifted but then revoked that in 2022. The suspension was ultimately lifted and he went on to lead Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League.
Smith’s Reflection
Speaking to News Corp recently, Smith described the experience as traumatic. “That was a traumatic experience in my life and when I hear the flash of a camera it makes me revisit that, in a way,” he said.
“The 24-48 hours after being told I was getting banned for a year, going through the airport in Johannesburg getting absolutely mobbed, and then flying back and doing a press conference… I still have little flashbacks here and there of it.”
Smith added: “I felt like I was kind of thrown to the wolves through Johannesburg airport. I didn’t have any support there at all. It was certainly a difficult period, particularly the initial few days after. The mental state I was in was not great.”
“I’ve tried to kind of erase a lot of 2018 and what happened. I can’t remember a lot about the series. I’ve tried to block most of it out of my memory bank.”
What To Expect In South Africa
Australia have returned to South Africa since the scandal but only for white-ball cricket, with a proposed Test tour in 2021 cancelled due to Covid-19. England fans regularly teased their Ashes rivals after the ball-tampering scandal, with some dressing up as sandpaper.
Former Proteas all-rounder Shaun Pollock believes the reaction will not be overly hostile. “Over here, there’s been quite a few replays of the 2018 series over the last few weeks, just to create a bit of animosity, I suppose, but when you play against Australia, people in South Africa won’t need a reason to have a go at them about some particular reason,” he said.
“I’m sure there’ll be a few people coming dressed up in accordance with the scandal, I’m sure there’ll be some continual reminding of it, but I don’t think it’ll be over the top or too intense.”
Unanswered Questions
While Cricket Australia found only Warner, Smith and Bancroft were party to the plot, Bancroft said in an interview in 2021 that it was “self-explanatory” bowlers in the team had to be aware the ball was being meddled with.
Cricket Australia said they were open to investigating any new information brought to light.
The whole episode is one Australia will want to forget but will likely never be allowed to.