{
  "id": 12135985,
  "title": "Sandpapergate at Cape Town, South Africa: Revisiting the ball-tampering scandal that rocked Australian cricket eight years on",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/sandpapergate-at-cape-town-south-africa-revisiting-the-ball-tampering",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-05T11:13:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/sandpapergate-cape-town-south-africa-111320433.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The Sandpapergate scandal, which involved ball-tampering by Australian players during the 2018 Test series against South Africa, resurfaced as Australia returned to Cape Town for a Test series. The controversy began on March 22, 2018, when Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera using sandpaper to alter the ball's condition during the third Test at Newlands. In response to the scandal, Cricket Australia banned Steve Smith and David Warner for 12 months, while Bancroft received a nine-month suspension. Australia are now set to face South Africa in a three-match Test series for the first time since the 2018 scandal, with the teams returning to the country for the longest format of the game for the first time since Newlands.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Business Recorder",
        "title": "South Africa's Nortje eyes test return against Australia after lengthy absence",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/south-africas-nortje-eyes-test-return-against-australia-after-lengthy",
        "published": "2026-10-05T07:40:34.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}