Justin Langer reopens Sandpapergate row with reverse-swing claim
Justin Langer claims Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft "took the fall" for cricketers worldwide and says the ball has not reverse-swung since the 2018 Cape Town scandal.
Former Australia head coach Justin Langer has reopened the 2018 Sandpapergate row, claiming Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft “took the fall” for cricketers around the world and asserting the ball has not reverse-swung anywhere since the Cape Town incident.
“In my opinion, Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft took the fall not just for Australian cricket, but for cricketers all around the world. The ball hasn’t reverse-swung anywhere in the world since that day,” Langer said on Amazon Prime’s In The Middle With Watto, India TV reported.
Langer criticised the reaction at the time — “the Prime Minister banging his chest, the smug documentaries, and the disgusting behavior toward Steve and David in England — it made me sick” — and backed Andrew Flintoff’s “those in glass houses” remark. He also labelled South Africans “smug” over a post-incident documentary he said targeted Smith and Warner, per NDTV.
The comments came during Australia’s first Test series in South Africa since the scandal, with the second Test under way in Gqeberha, Times Now reported.
The 2018 Cape Town third Test saw Bancroft caught using sandpaper on the ball; Cricket Australia banned Smith and Warner for 12 months and Bancroft for nine. Langer’s wider implication that other teams were also tampering is his stated opinion, not an established fact. More cricket coverage.
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