On Saturday, Cameron Bancroft was caught tampering the ball during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town, Australian captain Steve Smith claimed emphatically that his team had never indulged in cheating before. However, fresh footage that has emerged on social media suggests otherwise. In a video being circulated on Twitter, Bancroft can be seen doing something rather suspicious during the Sydney Ashes Test against England last year. The Aussie opener is seen putting a fistful of sugar into his pocket during the lunch interval.
The sugar, of course, can be used to rough-up the ball. It has been reported that England were suspicious of Australia's tactics back then. The visitors couldn't figure out how the Aussies would get sudden reverse swing, despite the lush green outfields and no lateral movement off the pitch. Cricket Australia are hoping to share the results of their investigation into the ball-tampering scandal within a couple of days as they look to take control of incident that has plunged the country into turmoil.
While it could be argued that Bancroft took the sugar because of the scorching heat on the field, one can't help but wonder, especially after the latest incident, whether the Australians have been cheating since a while now. The International Cricket Council (ICC) fined Smith's 100% match fee and handed him a one-Test ban, while, Cameron Bancroft got a 75% fine and three demerit points for ball-tampering incident.