I refuse to believe that rest of the players of the Australian team might not have known: Aakash Chopra

Australian batsman Cameron Bancroft’s latest statement on the 2018 Sandpaper gate has once again brought the ball-tampering episode under the spotlight. While speaking in an interview, the Aussie cricketer had hinted that bowlers might have known about the plot that made him and two others – Steve Smith and David Warner – pay a huge price.

Bancroft was slapped with a 9-month ban for his involvement in the scandal while Smith and Warner were both handed a 12-month ban for their roles in it.

Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has said that he ‘refuses to believe’ that the rest of the players of the Australian team would not have known. In his latest YouTube video, the cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that the Australian bowlers would have surely figured out the ball had been tampered with.

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“Actually, I am with Cameron Bancroft. He has not said it, it is ‘self-explanatory’ that everyone knew it. At least, the bowlers definitely knew for sure that when the ball came in the hand, it has been scratched more and the wear and tear are not looking natural,” said Chopra.

“The fact is I refuse to believe that the rest of the players of the Australian team, especially the bowlers, it is possible an odd fringe player who is a batsman might not have known that sandpaper was being used, but if the bowlers don't know that the ball is being tampered with and the condition is being changed, it means you are not telling the truth,” he added.

The Australian pace attack in the Cape Town Test against South Africa comprised of the trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.