Alastair Cook
Alastair Cook. Image Courtesy: Getty

The Sandpaper Gate rocked the cricketing world early in 2018 when Australian cricketers were seen tampering the ball during a Test against South Africa in Cape Town. And now former England skipper Alastair Cook has claimed that David Warner had admitted him of ball-tampering in a first-class match before that sandpaper gate incident.

The incident in South Africa took a toll on the entire Australia team. Cricket Australia (CA) suspended senior cricketers, Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft for their role in the ball-tampering saga. While Smith and Warner had to undergo a one-year ban, Bancroft sustained a ban of nine months.

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Alastair Cook Claims David Warner Admitted To Him Of Ball Tampering Before Sandpaper Gate
David Warner (L) and Alastair Cook (R).

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As they look to leave that phase behind, Alastair Cook has made fresh claims of David Warner admitting to him of ball-tampering. A report in The Guardian said that Cook in his autobiography has talked about an incident from Ashes 2017-18 where Warner talked about tampering the ball in a first-class match.

“David Warner, a couple of beers into his celebration, mentioned that he used substances attached to the strapping on his hand to accelerate the deterioration of the ball during a first-class match. I looked at Steve Smith who shot a glance that said: ‘Ooh, you shouldn’t have said that,” The Guardian quoted Alastair Cook writing in his book.

Steve Smith
Steve Smith. Credit: Getty

Meanwhile, Australia have retained the Ashes in England for the first time since 2001. Former skipper Steve Smith made the difference between the two sides who has so far scored three centuries and two fifties including a double hundred.

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With a 2-1 lead in the series, the Aussies will hope to retain the lead in the fifth and final Test starting from September 12. On the other hand, England will hope to at least finish the series in a draw after failing to regain the Ashes urn.

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