Sandpaper For Sale: South Africa Fans Take Jibe At David Warner And Steven Smith

Despite several reminders from the officials, the fans trolled Steven Smith and David Warner with sandpaper, recalling sandpaper incident once again. In the first T20I of the three-match series between South Africa and Australia, Proteas fans decided to get under the skin of Warner and Smith by displaying provocative banners.

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In 2018, Warner, Smith, and Cameron Bancroft were involved in ball-tampering in the Cape Town Test and as a result, the trio was suspended by Cricket Australia (CA). After the incident was caught on camera, Smith stepped down as the captain.

David Warner, Steven Smith Face South African Fans:

The boos followed in after Smith managed to hit a four off Dale Steyn’s delivery that had bounced twice on the pitch before hitting the willow.

The umpire immediately ruled it out as a dead ball and that is when the spectators booed at him. In fact, amid the crowd, a placard read, “Sandpaper for sale. Pocket-sized for extra discreetness.”

Despite his knock of 45 off 32 that played a pivotal role in Australia’s win in the first T20I match of the three-game series, Smith found himself amid boos although the crowd wasn’t as brutal as he might have expected.

Sandpaper for Sale: South Africa fans hold banners in the stadium

Warner, who was also involved in the same ball-tampering scandal, managed to score just four runs before losing his wicket on the day as the visitors hoisted a total of 196 for six. In chase of a target score of 197, the home side failed miserably and crumbled to 89 all out.

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Ashton Agar starred with the ball as he took five wickets, registering the best-ever bowling figures by an Australian bowler in T20Is. He also managed to take a hat-trick and with this, he became the second Australian to register the feat in the shortest format.

Australia will now take on South Africa in the second T20I on Sunday, February 23.