Cricket Australia (CA) on Saturday (May 15) said they are willing to reinvestigate the Sandpaper Gate if anyone comes forward with new information regarding the incident.
This announcement came after opening batsman Cameron Bancroft alleged that the Australian bowlers were also aware of the entire plot and it was not just him and then skipper Steve Smith, veteran opener David Warner.
"CA has maintained all along that if anyone is in possession of new information in regards to the Cape Town Test of 2018, they should come forward and present it. The investigation conducted at the time was detailed and comprehensive. Since then, no one has presented new information to CA that casts doubt on the investigation's findings," ESPNcricinfo quoted CA spokesperson as saying.
Australian cricket was shaken to the core after cameras had caught Bancroft using sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball at Newlands. Subsequently, then captain Smith and his deputy Warner were given 12-month bans while Bancroft was handed a nine-month suspension under Cricket Australia's Code of Conduct.
According to Bancroft, it was 'probably self-explanatory' whether the bowlers were aware that the ball was being tampered with.
"Yeah, look, all I wanted to do was to be responsible and accountable for my own actions and part. Yeah, obviously what I did benefits bowlers and the awareness around that, probably, is self-explanatory," Bancroft said to the Guardian interviewer Donald McRae as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
"I guess one thing I learnt through the journey and being responsible is that's where the buck stops [with Bancroft himself]. Had I had better awareness I would have made a much better decision," he added.
When he was further stressed, Bancroft replied: "Uh... yeah, look, I think, yeah, I think it's pretty probably self-explanatory."
After serving their bans, the duo of Smith and Warner have made a successful comeback to international cricket. On the other hand, Bancroft is yet to find his feet, though, he featured in the 2019 Ashes series.
