Australia’s Test team to play in Cape Town for first time since ‘Sandpaper-gate’

MELBOURNE: Australia’s Test team will return to Cape Town for the first time since the 2018 ‘Sandpaper-gate’ ball-tampering scandal when they meet South Africa in the final fixture of a three-match series from October 27.

Though having played white-ball games in South Africa, Australia have not toured the nation for a Test series since the scandal at Newlands which resulted in long bans for Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.

Warner has retired from international cricket and Bancroft has not played a Test in over six years but top-order batter Smith remains a key player in the Test setup.

Smith was captain of Australia when TV cameras picked up Bancroft rubbing sandpaper on the ball on day three of the third Test at Newlands, triggering a Cricket Australia investigation.

Smith was later stripped of the captaincy and banned from leadership roles in Australian cricket for two years.

Warner, deemed the main architect of the tampering plot by Cricket Australia, was given a life ban from leadership roles, though that was lifted in 2024.

South Africa won the match at Newlands by 322 runs and the series 3-1.

Australia will play the Proteas in three ODI matches in September before the Test series starts in Durban on October 9.

The second Test is in Gqeberha from October 18.