[imagesource: AAP]

When cameras caught Cameron Bancroft sticking a piece of sandpaper down the front of his trousers at Newlands in 2018, it set in motion a chain of events that would bring shame on Australia’s cricket team.

Or rather, on three members of that team in particular.

Bancroft, David Warner, and Steve Smith all received bans, with coach Darren Lehmann also resigning once the test series wrapped up.

However, Bancroft cast doubt on Cricket Australia’s findings that there were only three players with prior knowledge of the ball-tampering going on this past weekend, saying “obviously what I did benefits bowlers and the awareness around that, probably, is self-explanatory.”

When pressed again on whether the bowlers knew, he said “yeah, look, I think, yeah, I think it’s pretty probably self-explanatory.”

Australia’s bowling coach at the time, David Saker, also hinted at this, saying “we all know that we made a monumental mistake”, adding “there was a lot of people to blame.”

In response, the four bowlers in the Australian 2018 Newlands test team have hit back, releasing a statement via Cricket Australia.

This from Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon:

“We pride ourselves on our honesty. So it’s been disappointing to see that our integrity has been questioned by some journalists and past players in recent days in regard to the Cape Town Test of 2018.

“We have already answered questions many times on this issue, but we feel compelled to put the key facts on the record again:

* We did not know a foreign substance was taken onto the field to alter the condition of the ball until we saw the images on the big screen at Newlands

* And to those who, despite the absence of evidence, insist that ‘we must have known’ about the use of a foreign substance simply because we are bowlers, we say this: The umpires during that Test match, Nigel Llong and Richard Illingworth, both very respected and experienced umpires, inspected the ball after the images surfaced on the TV coverage and did not change it because there was no sign of damage.

“None of this excuses what happened on the field that day at Newlands. It was wrong and it should never have happened.”

They went on to say that “valuable lessons” had been learnt, and requested “an end to the rumour-mongering and innuendo”.

The dig at “past players” is clearly aimed at Michael Clarke, with the former Ozzie skipper saying the bowlers would have noticed changes to the ball, adding “I don’t think anybody is surprised that more than three people knew about it.”

Adam Gilchrist had also weighed in, telling SEN Radio that “anyone would be naive to think people were not aware with what was going on about ball maintenance.”

Cricket Australia says it has reached out to Bancroft, reports Sydney Morning Herald, who has had a change of heart:

The former Test opener moved to defuse tensions from his bombshell interview by reaching out to Australia’s bowlers and telling CA he had nothing to add to his 2018 testimony…

“Our integrity unit, on seeing the reports, the media articles, our integrity unit reached out directly to Cam to ask if there’s any additional information beyond the original investigation that he had, or wanted to share. He’s come back and confirmed that he’s got no new information since that original investigation and we thank Cam for confirming that to our integrity unit,” [CA’s interim chief executive Nick] Hockley told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald…

Image: AFP

Bancroft has contacted the bowlers to explain the circumstances behind his comments, which has reignited an issue many in Australian cricket had consigned to the past.

A source with knowledge of the matter said Bancroft had claimed he was left flustered by the unexpected line of questioning and there was no malice behind his remarks.

When you’ve been suspended for one of cricket’s biggest scandals in recent times, you should be prepared for questions surrounding that same scandal.

Elite honesty from the Australian cricket team, or elite mateship, also known as covering one another’s tracks?

We may never know the full extent of who knew what leading up to that infamous day.

Or, as David Warner’s agent has said, we will when the “tell-all autobiography” comes out, which will no doubt paint the opener as being the fall guy.

Perhaps that was the truth.

[sources:cricketaustralia&smh]