'Our cameras will be sharp': South African broadcaster SuperSport takes a dig at Australia over Sandpapergate ahead of Test series

South African broadcaster SuperSport has mocked Australia ahead of their first Test series in the country since the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, also known as Sandpapergate. The three-Test series will see Australia face South Africa at Kingsmead in Durban on October 9 at 1 pm IST. SuperSport's promo on X featured a camera emoji, a nod to the incident that occurred at Newlands in Cape Town in 2018.

The broadcaster's cameras caught Australian batsman Cameron Bancroft using a yellow object on the ball during a Test match against South Africa on March 24, 2018, leading to the Sandpapergate controversy. SuperSport's cameras were also tasked with monitoring for any irregularities during the series, given the umpires' suspicions about Australia's attempts to manipulate the ball.

The current Australian squad features several players who were involved in the 2018 incident, including Steve Smith, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, and David Warner, who has since retired. Matthew Renshaw, who replaced Warner for the final Test of that series, remains part of the team. Despite the repeated reminders of the past, South Africa enters the series as reigning World Test Championship winners after defeating Australia in the final at Lord's last year.

Australia aims to secure points in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle, with the second Test set to take place in Gqeberha on October 18 and the third Test at Newlands on October 27.