Australian cricketer Peter Handscomb made a revelation about the ball-tampering controversy against South Africa which shook the whole country. He claimed that the video was edited in a way to show that he had relayed Darren Lehmann's instructions to Cameron Bancroft after which the latter slipped the sandpaper in his pants to get away from the ball-tampering allegations.
Handscomb opened up for the first time about the controversy. He said, "I love that footage because it's actually amazing how much the media edited it. So, it shows me on the walkie-talkie then running out and talking to Cam (Bancroft). What happened, I am on the walkie-talkie. Twenty minutes, 25 minutes later, a player comes off because they need to go to the bathroom. I am next to it so that's why I come on."
As shown in the video which was all over the internet, Bancroft tried to alter the condition of the ball and after being caught on camera, Lehmann instructed something to Handscomb over walkie-talkie after which he had a laugh with Bancroft in the middle and the latter was seen hiding the yellow object.
Handscomb further explained the incident and said, "I get put into a catching position next to Cam because we are both short catches... we are front of the wicket catchers or in slips together," he added. "That's why I was there, literally just trying to have a joke with him. There was nothing else. All this build-up about me trying to do something there, it wasn't there."
He also confirmed that Lehmann did ask him about what is going on in the middle as he wasn't aware of the pre-planned tampering. "I haven't been dragged into it [the scandal] that much. If I was, I am basically off a lot of social media now anyway. I didn't read it and I didn't hear it."
The then skipper Steve Smith received a suspension along with David Warner, and that opened gates for Handscomb in the playing XI. However, the Aussie batsman isn't too happy with the way he got the opportunity.
"It was a bit of a shame to come back into the Test side under those circumstances - I had really wanted to get back in through sheer work and put numbers on the board and make sure I was doing all the right things," he said. "Sometimes it's right place, right time, and I have to try and take that opportunity."
Handscomb failed to make the most of given opportunity. But he would look to grab it with both hands when India will play a couple of four-day games against Australia A later this year. "It [national selection] seems to be a bit open slather - you are going into this [A tour], if you make runs you are a massive chance and, if you don't, you haven't taken that opportunity they are trying to give you. I feel like I am a really good player of spin and I hope I will go over there and make runs. I have done that before on the subcontinent, so I hope I can do that again," Handscomb concluded.
