The 2018 Newlands ball-tampering scandal was one of the biggest controversies that cricket has seen in the recent past. The incident happened during the 3rd Test of the highly volatile Test series between South Africa and Australia when rookie opener Cameron Bancroft was captured applying a foreign substance on the ball [Read- Sandpaper] before pulling it back in his trouser, on camera by the host broadcaster.
The incident blew out of proportions following the culmination of the day’s play when the then Australian skipper Steve Smith accepted in the press conference that he, along with then vice-captain David Warner and opener Cameron Bancroft had hatched a plan to apply sandpaper on the ball in order to help their bowlers get more reverse-swing.
Smith hadn’t realized that he was sitting on a steadily ticking time bomb, which exploded as soon as he uttered those words of acceptance in the press-conference. The acceptance by the then skipper sent shockwaves around the cricket world, with fans demanding for severe punishment for the trio and especially Smith and Warner.
But it wasn’t just these three cricketers, who were affected by the incident, David Warner’s wife, Candice Warner also bore the brunt of it, with angered fans venting out their frustration by abusing her on her social media posts. In fact, the 2018 ball-tampering scandal was the crescendo of what Candice Warner had endured during that tour.
“I feel like it’s all my fault and it’s killing me” Candice Warner
It all started during the first Test when her husband and South African wicketkeeper, Quinton de Kock, were involved in a stairway brawl, where both cricketers almost came to blows due to pretty personal remarks they’d hurled at each other. Then in the next Test match, a section of the home crowd went a bit too far when they came to the stadium wearing the mask of Candice’s former boyfriend, along with whom her video had gone viral, a decade ago.
David Warner was handed a 12-month ban along with Steve Smith for the ball-tampering scandal, following which the southpaw did an emotional press-conference after his return to Australia. The scandal affected both David and Candice to its core and in 2018, Candice, during an interview to the Daily Mail even blamed herself for her husband’s situation.
”He’s just such an emotional wreck.” She continued: “I feel like it’s all my fault and it’s killing me — it’s absolutely killing me. “I haven’t been much of a support because I’ve been a wreck. I’m really not well.”
Candice went away from the public space for some time. Ever her social media accounts were frozen for some time. But, just like her husband, Candice Warner has clearly moved on and upwards. She is currently starring in a task-based reality show in Australia
Also Read- IPL 2020: Hardik Pandya Credits Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson For Rajasthan’s Victory Over Mumbai Indians