New Delhi, November 8, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Western Australia coach Beau Casson has said batter Cameron Bancroft is keen to move on from the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, popularly known as ‘Sandpaper Gate’, and let his performances speak for themselves as the controversy returns to the headlines.
Former Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja recently claimed that the entire Australian team knew about the use of sandpaper on the ball during the Cape Town Test against South Africa in 2018.
According to a report by Nine newspapers, sandpaper was also discussed and used during the preceding Test in Gqeberha, with Bancroft volunteering to use the object during the first innings.
Bancroft featured for Western Australia in their one-day match against England at the WACA on Saturday, which the home side lost by 92 runs. Speaking after the match, Casson said the batter wanted to put the controversy behind him.
“The situation’s a long time ago. I think he’s keen to move on and let his bat do the talking,” Casson told reporters, as quoted by Cricinfo.
“You can’t control everything. The way he’s handled it, over the past couple of weeks, and over the years gone by, it speaks volumes of the way he’s done that,” he added.
Casson also praised Bancroft’s professionalism, saying, “He certainly sets the example of how to go about being a professional cricketer.”
Bancroft was at the centre of the Cape Town controversy after television cameras captured him tampering with the ball using the object. He received a nine-month ban from international and domestic cricket. Then-captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were handed one-year bans.
Warner was also given a lifetime leadership ban, which was lifted in 2024, while Smith received a 12-month leadership ban.
While Smith and Warner rebuilt their international careers, Bancroft’s Test prospects remained limited. His recent domestic form has also been inconsistent since the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
It remains unclear whether Bancroft will respond to Khawaja’s claims, which the latter is set to detail in his book Sabr.
Speaking to ABC Grandstand last week, Bancroft acknowledged that his chances of returning to the Test team were limited.
“I’m definitely not as feverish now about my opportunities to play at that level,” he said.
“I’m fully accepting of the fact that the likelihood is that I won’t play at that level again. If an opportunity came I’d be very grateful and I’d take it, but I’m at peace with playing at the level and the opportunity I had there.”
FOLLOW NOW
