Australian cricketer Cameron Bancroft accused of ball tampering

Australian cricketer Cameron Bancroft is suspected of ball tampering after he was seen appearing to rub it with a foreign object on day two of the third Test.

Bancroft was seen removing a small yellow item from his pocket and appearing to use it on the ball, before being pulled up by umpires moments later.

The footage went wild on social media with cricket fans speculating what the batsman had hidden in his pocket, as suggestions of ball tampering escalate.

 

Australian cricketer Cameron Bancroft is suspected of ball tampering after he was seen appearing to rub it with a foreign object on day two of the third Test

The footage went wild on social media with cricket fans speculating what the batsman had hidden in his pocket, as suggestions of ball tampering escalate 

The footage went wild on social media with cricket fans speculating what the batsman had hidden in his pocket, as suggestions of ball tampering escalate 

After being ordered to reveal what he had put in his pocket, the 25-year-old produced a sunglasses cloth to umpires Nigel Llong and Richard Illingworth.

However pundits who thoroughly analysed the footage believe the object may have been sandpaper, which Bancroft then quickly hid in his pants when apprehended. 

‘In my opinion he has tampered with the ball, and used an object to do that,’ former South Africa captain Graeme Smith said on commentary.

‘Clearly he’s hiding something away from the umpires and when they approach him he pulls something outside of his pocket. It is damning in my mind.’

Bancroft was seen removing a small yellow item from his pocket and appearing to use it on the ball, before being pulled up by umpires moments later

Bancroft was seen removing a small yellow item from his pocket and appearing to use it on the ball, before being pulled up by umpires moments later

Smith hypothesized the foreign object may have been a piece of sandpaper.

‘It does look like it’s a bit of sandpaper. The footage doesn’t look good,’ he said. 

Talking to SuperSport, former cricket star Shane Warne also expressed concern about Bancroft’s suspicious actions.

‘You’ve got to own up and say what was it that you were hiding,’ he said. ‘You can’t have that in the game.’

‘We’ve got to get to the bottom of it. You know when you get caught you’ve got to own up and be honest. The Aussies have to be honest and say ‘this is how it happened’.’

Surprisingly, the umpires chose not to replace the ‘tampered’ ball after speaking to Bancroft.

Under the ICC code of conduct, ball tampering is considered a level-two offence, carrying up to four demerit points, or a one-Test ban for a player found guilty.



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