In March 2018, during the third Test match against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town, Cameron Bancroft was caught by television cameras trying to rough up one side of the ball with sandpaper to make it swing in flight.

[1] Captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were found to be involved and all three received unprecedented sanctions from Cricket Australia.

[4] On 24 March 2018, during the third day of the third Test, after the 43rd over of South Africa's second innings,[5] Australia's Cameron Bancroft was shown on the television coverage and on screens at the ground appearing to rub the ball with a small yellow object.

[5] At the press conference at the end of the day's play, Bancroft, accompanied by Australia's captain, Steve Smith, admitted that he was shown attempting to alter the condition of the ball using a short length of yellow adhesive tape to which dirt and grit had adhered, forming an abrasive surface.

[11] David Richardson, CEO of the International Cricket Council (ICC), charged Smith with "conduct of a serious nature that is contrary to the spirit of the game".

[15] He phoned Cricket Australia (CA) Board chairman David Peever[16] directly to express that disappointment and concern, saying that there has to be the strongest action taken.

[18][19] In a press release dated 25 March 2018, CA CEO James Sutherland apologised to fans and confirmed that both Smith and Warner had agreed to stand down from their roles of captain and vice-captain respectively for the remainder of the match.

In the same release, David Peever announced that Tim Paine, the team's wicket-keeper, had been endorsed by the Board of CA to step in as acting captain, and Smith and Warner would take to the field under him.

[24] Cricket Australia launched its own investigation into the incident, led by Executive General Manager Team Performance, Pat Howard, with CA Senior Legal Counsel and Head of Integrity Iain Roy.

[26] On 27 March 2018, before the findings of that investigation were handed down, opening batsman Matt Renshaw was recalled to the squad from Australia ahead of the fourth Test.

[27] On 27 March 2018, Sutherland announced that as a result of the preliminary investigation Smith, Warner and Bancroft had been charged with bringing the game into disrepute, suspended and would be sent home.

In the Amazon documentary series about the scandal, The Test, Warner opened up on his struggles and road to getting the respect he lost back in the 12 month ban period he served.

"[31] Bancroft was found to be a party to the plan to tamper with the ball, that he carried out Warner's instructions, tried to conceal the evidence and made statements to mislead match officials and the public.

"[31][32] Ahead of the decision, Smith and Warner had stepped down as captains of the Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively in the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL).

[42] He later arrived at Sydney Airport with his wife and two young daughters, and when confronted by media, repeated that he would make a statement in the coming days, and that his priority was to get his family home.

An emotional Bancroft expressed disappointment, regret and remorse, admitting that he had failed as a role model and in the eyes of the broader community, and that when confronted on the field by the umpires and media about his actions he panicked.

He apologised for the breach of trust and his actions, accepting full responsibility for the part he played in the incident, and said that the next twelve months would be a tough and emotional time for him.

[55] It was further reported on 1 April 2018 that all three had sought legal advice and were considering their actions, and importantly that while they all acknowledged erring in Cape Town, they had not formally accepted or challenged their charges or their sanctions issued by CA.

[57] James Sutherland of CA had previously said that the legal advice they had received was that they did not have jurisdiction requiring other national cricketing bodies to enforce the sanctions.

[28] The terms of reference of that inquiry would be to "find a means by which supporters of Australian cricket and the wider community can effectively refresh their commitment to the sport".

Further details of the review would be forthcoming, but it would seek input from "relevant experts", especially to determine how the culture of the Australian men's test side arrived at the point at which it has found itself.

[65][66] While no one contended that the charges and findings against Bancroft, Smith and Warner were not justified, many argued that the sanctions were unprecedented, and that there were flaws in the Cricket Australia (CA) description of the incident.

Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle said that "I honestly do not believe any other country would have handed its captain and lead player a one-year ban for attempted ball-tampering."

Other cricketers came out in support of the banned players, saying that punishment was too harsh, including Harbhajan Singh, Russel Arnold, Michael Di Venuto and Adam Hollioake.

[80] Gautam Gambhir, the former captain of the IPL side Delhi Daredevils commented that the sanctions imposed on Smith and Warner are quite harsh, and suspected that both may have paid for their roles in a 10-month pay dispute with CA[81][82] that was resolved in August 2017.

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen was unconvinced that coach Darren Lehmann did not know of the plan, while BBC broadcaster Jonathan Agnew believed that there were contradictions in the official narrative.

[88][89][90] On 29 March 2018, Magellan Financial Group terminated its three-year naming rights sponsorship agreement with CA in response to the ball-tampering scandal.

[91][92] The incident came as CA was negotiating television broadcast rights to all forms of the game for the next six seasons, estimated at one point to be valued at greater than AU$900 million.

[97] The LG Electronics company in Australia announced that they had chosen not to renew their personal sponsorship of Warner on 27 March 2018, citing "recent events".

[100] He was then involved in a highly publicised personal and escalating verbal altercation with South African batsman Quinton de Kock as they were leaving the field.