"I am with Cameron Bancroft" - Aakash Chopra on Sandpaper Gate
Aakash Chopra has concurred with Cameron Bancroft that the Australian bowlers would have been aware of the ball-tampering in the 2018 Cape Town Test, although the latter has not said so explicitly.
Cameron Bancroft, Steve Smith and David Warner were handed bans for their involvement in the incident where the right-handed opener was caught altering the condition of the ball using sandpaper. Bancroft recently said it was 'self-explanatory' when asked if the Australian bowlers were aware of the planned misdemeanor.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra pointed out that the Aussie bowlers would have surely figured out the ball had been tampered with after seeing its condition.
"Actually, I am with Cameron Bancroft. He has not said it, it is 'self-explanatory' that everyone knew it. At least, definitely the bowlers knew for sure that when the ball came in the hand it has been scratched more and the wear and tear is not looking natural," said Chopra.
The cricketer-turned-commentator feels the Australian bowlers are lying if they say they were not in the know.
"The fact is I refuse to believe that the rest of the players of the Australian team, especially the bowlers, it is possible an odd fringe player who is a batsman might not have known that sandpaper was being used, but if the bowlers don't know that the ball is being tampered with and the condition is being changed, it means you are not telling the truth," added Aakash Chopra.
The Aussie pace attack in the Cape Town Test against South Africa comprised of the experienced trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.
"Till now no home team player has been caught" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra also highlighted that it is always the visiting team players who are caught tampering with the ball.
"Till now no home team player has been caught. Do the home team players not do anything? It is because the broadcasters, the cameramen and the machinery is working in unison with the hosts. You send a small message that it seems some extra work is happening on the ball," said Chopra.
The 43-year-old cited the example of the 2005 Ashes series, where the English bowlers dismantled the Aussies with prodigious reverse swing but survived the prying eyes of the cameras.
"If you consider the Ashes of 2005, where the ball swung a lot, if it was happening in Australia the story would have been different. The English bowlers might have been caught and fingers might have been pointed somewhere or the other but because it was a home series, nobody actually found a fault," pointed out Aakash Chopra.
England registered a 2-1 series win against Australia in the 2005 Ashes. Andrew Flintoff (24 wickets), Simon Jones (18), Steve Harmison (17) and Matthew Hoggard (16) were the wreckers-in-chief for the hosts.