Australia take on South Africa at the Gabba on Saturday in the first time the two sides will meet in the Test match arena since the now infamous ‘Sandpapergate’ series in 2018.
In what is considered one of the darkest days in the history of Australian cricket, the world was shocked when Cameron Bancroft, David Warner (who was vice-captain at the time) and in turn Steve Smith (who was responsible as captain in at the time) were involved in a ball-tampering scandal during the third Test of the series in Cape Town.
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Cricket Australia (CA) came down hard on the trio after it was discovered that Bancroft had been using sandpaper hidden in his trousers to artificially alter the state of the ball in the hope of invoking reverse swing.
Warner and Smith received 12-month bans, while Bancroft was banned for nine months. Warner and Smith were also hit with leadership bans, with the latter serving a suspension since it expired (he is currently vice-captain and has since captained Pat Cummins twice), while the former still serves a life sentence
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The Australian men’s cricket team, and Warner and Smith in particular, have certainly come a long way since being rocked by the cheating scandal, but the trauma of what happened that fateful day at the South African capital still endures firmly: like an open wound that refuses to heal completely.
The ugly events of Sandpapergate were thrown into sharp focus again in October when explosive claims by Faf du Plessis (who was South African captain at the time) were revealed to the public before the release of the 38-year-old man. autobiography
Most recently, things escalated with Warner, his manager and his wife (Candice) publicly criticizing CA for his lifetime leadership ban as he tried to get it overturned before retiring his solo request for family reasons.
In order for all parties to move on and hopefully finally put this ongoing saga to bed, Warner, Smith and the rest of the Australian team must first face their demons when they take the field from the Gabba to face the South Africans again in the series opener. .
The Brisbane pitch looked extremely green just a day after the first ball with a healthy covering of living grass, an exciting prospect for the seamers.
The Gabba portal a day out from the first test. Source: FOX SPORTS
The drama surrounding the sandpaper serves as an interesting subplot in a series that promises to be much more closely contested than the two-Test series against the struggling West Indies.
While Australia enter the series as raging favorites (and deservedly so given their world number one ICC Test ranking), they would be ill-advised to take their opponents lightly.
Although they haven’t toured here since the summer of 2016-17, and are no longer the powerhouse they once were, South Africa have won the last three Test series in Australia and have a quartet of bowlers quickies that could give the Australian batting line-up a headache.
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Tour captain Dean Elgar has already stated that he believes there will be some “spice” in the three-Test series between two teams that have a history of fiery encounters.
“[Sandpapergate] it was a very tough time for all of us, even though we weren’t the guys who took the brunt of it all, but we were part of it and obviously sad events happened,” Elgar said.
“I wish things had been very different. The history between South Africa and Australia in terms of Test cricket is very rich.
“The competitive nature is very similar. We both want to go out and win and play a brand of cricket that our countries are proud of.
“It was extremely juicy (in 2018) even building that (ball-handling) game in Cape Town. It was interesting times, let’s put it that way. Hopefully it’s been put to bed now.
“Hopefully there aren’t any pranks on the field that no one gets arrested for. It was sad to see how these events unfolded.”
Australia are currently riding on the back of an emphatic 2-0 series sweep over a disappointing Windies side, with the top order of their batting line-up (apart from Warner and Green) in fantastic nick.
A burning question leading into this Test is whether they will be able to continue this form throughout this series, considering South Africa have a lethal quartet of fast bowlers in Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje and Marco Jansen, who regularly clock over 140km/h – and are expected to aggressively go after the Australian batting line-up.
Rabada, who has taken 257 Test wickets, was one of the stars of the 2016-17 series in Australia, which the Proteas won 2-1.
South Africa captain Elgar believes each of his four fast bowlers have a unique skill set that should see them thrive in Australian conditions.
“Kagiso’s career speaks for itself and we know what Nortje does in terms of bringing the heat,” said the veteran opening batsman.
“Also (Nortje’s) skills are up there so he can balance two different game plans if needed. Ngidi has the skill set where if the ball swings, he is the only bowler who will get the swing.
“Jansen also brings a lot of pace and bounce. He is 6-foot-plus and the tallest member of our bowling ranks. They all bring something unique, which is nice to have.
“When you come to Australia you want to have that skill and you want to have the balance in terms of the raw pace they bring to the attack.”
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While South Africa certainly pose a significant threat with the ball, their batting line-up looks a bit sparse, with Elgar the only real batsman with proven experience.
This could prove to be the Achilles heel of the touring side as even without the injured Josh Hazlewood, Australia possess arguably the deepest and most dangerous bowling line-up in international Test cricket.
The South African top order will face a stern test of their abilities when Mitch Starc takes the new ball, with the electrifying fast bowler looking to join the ranks of the game’s elite as he approaches to the 300 test ports.
With Pat Cummins on his way back from a quad strain following a one-game absence, one of the main talking points this week had been whether Boxing Day 2021 hero Scott Boland or specialist hometown Michael Neser would get the nod as Hazelwood’s replacement in the Gabba Test. .
However, the debate has ended with Australian coach Andrew McDonald saying on Thursday that the selection panel had decided to go with Boland first ahead of the unfortunate Neser.
“I look forward to Scott taking that place at the Gabba,” he said.
“He’s done nothing wrong and his record is incredible at the moment.”
McDonald also confirmed that the out-of-form Warner is under no threat to retain his place in the team.
“At this stage we have him in our plans for India,” the coach said.
“We will see what happens in the next three Test matches, but at this stage, he is firmly in our thoughts for India. There have been some tough conditions in India, but I imagine there would have been similar averages from other batsmen over there.
“His appetite for work in and around the formation is still there. He’s busy in the crease and we’ve seen signs that he’s doing well, but he’s just found different ways to get out, and sometimes that can happen.
“At this stage he’s keen to continue. He hasn’t hinted at anything else. We’re building towards a World Test Championship, and he wants to be part of it, so that’s a clear focus for us.
“I think he’s shown in the past that he can progress pretty quickly. He’s great at compartmentalizing the off-field from the on-field, and I think most great champions do this very well. I see that this situation is no different.
“We respect and understand David’s decision to withdraw from this appeals process, and he has moved forward and we are moving forward as a team.”
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PLACES
First Test at the Gabba, 17-21 December from 11.20am AEDT
Second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, 26 December to 30 December 10.30am AEDT
Third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, 4 January to 8 January 10.30am AEDT
HOW TO LOOK
Watch every ball of the Australia South Africa NRMA insurance tour live in high definition on Fox Cricket channel 501 or stream it live on Kayo…