Months after the ball-tampering scandal rocked Australian cricket, Peter Handscomb opened up on allegations leveled against him during the incident. As per a video footage leaked on the social media, the batsman appeared to have relayed a message from coach Darren Lehmann to Cameron Bancroft after which the latter hid the sandpaper inside his pants during the third Test against South Africa. But speaking to reporters, Handscomb said that the video was edited.
“I love that footage because it’s actually amazing how much the media edited it. So, it shows me on the walkie-talkie then running out and talking to Cam (Bancroft). What happened, I am on the walkie-talkie. Twenty minutes, 25 minutes later, a player comes off because they need to go to the bathroom. I am next to it so that’s why I come on,” the batsman was quoted as saying by Cribuzz.
The visuals of Bancroft stuffing the sandpaper, in the video, came at the end of his conversation with Handscomb. But the right-handed batsman said that it had happened before.
“I get put into a catching position next to Cam because we are both short catches… we are front of the wicket catchers or in slips together/ That’s why I was there, literally just trying to have a joke with him. There was nothing else. All this build-up about me trying to do something there, it wasn’t there,” he said.
After the investigations by Cricket Australia, Steve Smith and David Warner received a year-ban while Bancroft received a nine-month suspension from international cricket, paving way for Handscomb to make it into the team.
“It was a bit of a shame to come back into the Test side under those circumstances – I had really wanted to get back in through sheer work and put numbers on the board and make sure I was doing all the right things. Sometimes it’s right place, right time, and I have to try and take that opportunity,” the 27-year old said.
Australia will host South Africa for 3 ODIs and one T20I starting from November 4, 2018.
