Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has strolled down memory lane to recall the last time Australia toured South Africa for a Test series way back in 2018, which was won by the hosts 3-1.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, De Villiers revealed that the tourists crossed the line and didn’t show the home side any respect in the first Test. He also disclosed that his team’s performance was overshadowed by the ball tampering saga.
“I was quite emotional after that first Test match. I was upset with the way Australia went on about things on the field—it got quite personal. Nathan Lyon dropped the ball on me; it’s not like it hurt or anything, but it was just a bit disrespectful, and that respect factor was lacking,” AB de said.
The Sandpapergate scandal took place in March 2018 during the Cape Town Test, where Australian player Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera using sandpaper to illegally scratch and alter the cricket ball. As a result, Cricket Australia handed historic 12-month bans to Steve Smith and David Warner, and a 9-month ban to Bancroft.
“There were comments shared on the field while batting, stuff said to Quinton de Kock, and a general disrespect in our own country. Walking off, there was an altercation—people grabbing each other’s shirts, things you never see in the gentleman’s game. Australia plays hard, but in 2018, they crossed the line a bit,” he added.
“I remember leaving Kingsmead in Durban feeling emotional and frustrated. I tweeted, ‘This series will be one to remember,’ and forgot about it. But the motivation, emotion, and passion to bounce back were huge. I played possibly the best Test innings of my life in the next game in PE, we won, and then Australia started unraveling,” he noted.
“It was unfortunate that the headlines became all about Sandpaper Gate, the changes in the team, and the cheating, rather than the phenomenal cricket we played to come back against a ruthless Australian team,” he concluded.
