ഓസ്ട്രേലിയൻ ടീമിനെ പരിഹസിച്ച് ദക്ഷിണാഫ്രിക്കൻ സൂപ്പർമാർക്കറ്റ്: സാൻഡ്പേപ്പർ വിൽപ്പന നിർത്തിവെച്ചു

A South African supermarket has found a cheeky way to welcome Australia back to the country, eight years after one of the darkest episodes in the visiting team's cricketing history.

Pick n Pay Hypermarket has announced that sandpaper has been removed from its shelves until October 31, taking a pointed swipe at Australia's infamous ball-tampering scandal during the 2018 Test series in South Africa.

The announcement comes right after South Africa's opening Test match against Australia.

The Aussies are back in South Africa for a three-Test series, with the opening match beginning at Kingsmead in Durban on Friday, October 9. It is their first Test tour of the country since the scandal that brought Australian cricket under intense scrutiny and led to lengthy suspensions for three of its players.

WHAT IS SANDPAPERGATE?

The controversy unfolded during the third Test between Australia and South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town in March 2018. Australia were involved in a fiercely contested series when television cameras captured opener Cameron Bancroft attempting to alter the condition of the ball using a piece of sandpaper.

The footage showed Bancroft rubbing the object against the ball before attempting to conceal it. The incident prompted an investigation by Cricket Australia and quickly escalated into a national scandal.

Then Australia captain Steve Smith subsequently admitted that the team leadership had discussed a plan to tamper with the ball. David Warner, the vice-captain, was found to have developed the plan and instructed Bancroft to carry it out.

Cricket Australia handed Smith and Warner 12-month suspensions, while Bancroft received a nine-month ban. Smith and Warner were also barred from leadership roles for a period, while Warner's leadership restrictions were subsequently lifted in 2024.

The fallout extended beyond the three players. Australia coach Darren Lehmann announced that he would step down following the series, while the episode triggered an uncomfortable debate about the team's culture and its approach to winning.

The scandal became known as Sandpapergate, a label that has followed Australian cricket ever since.

A RIVALRY NEVER SHORT OF HEAT

The 2018 series was already marked by considerable on-field tension before the ball-tampering incident came to light. Players from both sides had exchanged verbal jabs, and the contest had become increasingly confrontational as Australia and South Africa battled for control.

The scandal eventually overshadowed much of the cricket. South Africa won the four-Test series 3-1, but the controversy surrounding Australia's conduct became the defining story of the tour.

Eight years later, the two sides return to a different cricketing landscape. Cummins is now leading Australia, while Smith and Warner are no longer the captain and vice-captain who occupied the centre of the controversy. Warner has since retired from international cricket.

Yet the memory of Cape Town continues to surface whenever the teams meet, particularly on a tour that marks Australia's first Test visit to South Africa since the incident.

Pick n Pay Hypermarket's sandpaper announcement is the latest example of how the episode remains part of the rivalry's folklore.

AUSTRALIA LOOK TO MOVE ON

Australia will be keen to ensure that the three-Test series is remembered for their performances rather than events from 2018. Cummins and his side arrive with considerable experience, although the team faces its own questions as it looks to maintain its position among the leading sides in Test cricket.

South Africa, meanwhile, will be looking to make the most of home conditions. The reigning World Test Championship winners have established themselves as a formidable side in the longest format, and the series provides another opportunity to test themselves against a major rival.

There is plenty at stake on the field, but the build-up has already shown that the past will not be easily forgotten.

For Pick n Pay Hypermarket, the message was a simple piece of sporting humour. For Australian cricket, it was a reminder of a controversy that refuses to fade from public memory.

The sandpaper may be off the shelves until October 31. The jokes, it seems, are very much still in circulation.