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Ex-Australia coach slams South Africa over Steve Smith, David Warner treatment in Sandpapergate. (Photo: AP)
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Moneycontrol•20-10-2026, 14:24
Ex-Australia Coach Slams South Africa Over Sandpapergate Treatment
  • •Former Australia head coach Justin Langer has criticised South Africa for their treatment of Steve Smith and David Warner after the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal.
  • •Langer claimed that Smith, Warner, and Cameron Bancroft took the blame not just for Australia, but for cricketers worldwide, noting that reverse swing has disappeared from the game since.
  • •He condemned a documentary produced by South Africa as smug and described the hostile treatment faced by Smith and Warner upon their return as disgusting adult human behaviour.
  • •Langer also praised former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff for highlighting the hypocrisy surrounding the intense backlash against the Australian team.

Key Questions Answered

Former Australia coach Justin Langer criticized South Africa for their smug documentary and described the hostile treatment of Steve Smith and David Warner upon their return as disgusting human behavior.

Langer argued that Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft took the punishment on behalf of cricketers worldwide, claiming that reverse swing has virtually disappeared from international cricket since the 2018 incident.

Andrew Flintoff defended the Australian team amid widespread condemnation by highlighting the hypocrisy of the critics, pointing out that ball-tampering was not a completely new phenomenon in cricket.