'No doubt Smith, Warner, Bancroft were treated despicably': Warner's agent says Sandpapergate investigation was 'a joke'

The 2018 Sandpapergate scandal involving Cameron Bancroft, David Warner and Steve Smith has blown up once again after Bancroft's recent remarks in an interview, in which the Australia batsman hinted that bowlers might have known about the plot. Bancroft was handed a nine-month ban for his role in the scandal, while Smith and Warner were both handed a 12-month for their roles in it.

But in a recent interview with the Guardian, Bancroft said that it is "self-explanatory" who might have known about it.

Also read: 'Some people have names stored away, ready to pull trigger when time is right': Adam Gilchrist on sandpapergate

Warner's manager James Erskine believes that the three cricketers were treated badly and also called Cricket Australia's investigation on the incident as a "joke".

“The report that was done, they didn’t interview all the players. The whole thing was so badly handled, it was a joke,” Erskine was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald.

“But eventually the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, will come out and I know the whole truth. But it doesn’t serve any purpose because the Australian public over a period of time got to dislike the Australian team because they didn’t behave particularly well," he added.

“There is absolutely no doubt that Smith, Warner and Bancroft were treated despicably. The fact of the matter is they did the wrong thing but the punishment didn’t fit the crime. I think if one or two of those players had taken legal action they would have won because of what the truth was," he further said.

Meanwhile, CA on Sunday released a statement in which they asked anyone with more knowledge on the subject to come forward.