Former Australian leg-spinner Stuart Macgill has revealed he used sandpaper to rough up cricket balls during matches, suggesting ball-tampering practices existed in Australian cricket before the infamous 2018 Cape Town scandal.
Macgill, who played 44 Tests for Australia between 1998 and 2008, disclosed his methods in a recent interview, indicating the use of abrasive materials to alter ball condition was not isolated to the 2018 incident involving Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft.
The 2018 scandal, known as "Sandpapergate," led to lengthy bans for the trio and a cultural review of Australian cricket. Macgill's admission raises questions about how widespread such practices were within the team environment prior to that watershed moment.
