South African fan offered Nathan Lyon a sandpaper during SA vs AUS 3rd Test (Credit: AP) Due to the infamous 'Sandpapergate' incident in 2018, in which Australian players were caught tampering with the ball using sandpaper, cricket matches between South Africa and Australia are now more heated and intense. Australia is currently on its first tour of South Africa since that series, and the local crowd has not passed up the opportunity to remind the visiting players of what happened. During the third Test in Cape Town, a South African supporter is seen offering Australian spinner Nathan Lyon a piece of sandpaper in a video that went viral online. On Day 2, the event happened while the visitors were fielding. The fan in the stands nearest the ground is seen extending a piece of sandpaper in the direction of the great bowler. Lyon, for his part, seems to take the joke lightly, motioning for the fan to approach the ground and hand it to him. There is a sea of laughter, caustic jeers, and applause as the other fans nearby join in on the fun. Notably, Australian players tampered with the ball with sandpaper during the 2018 Cape Town Test. Three Australians—Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft—were barred from playing international cricket for 12 months (Bancroft's sentence was for nine months) as a result of the controversy. Australia put South Africa in to bat when the series was tied at one. The Proteas had a great start thanks to Marques Ackerman (95) and Aiden Markram (78), but they were bowled out for 329 in their first innings after Mitchell Starc took six wickets. Thanks to significant contributions from Matt Renshaw, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, and Alex Carey, Australia went on to grab the lead in their opening innings. At the end of Day 2, Australia have managed to gain a 1-run lead with the help of Matt Renshaw (74 off 139 balls), Cameron Green (65 off 110), Josh Inglis (85 not out) and Alex Carey's (51 not out) innings. Both Inglis and Carey will begin the game on Day 3 and will be hoping to extend the lead. On the other hand, the Proteas would be hoping to bounce back with quick wickets. Nikhil is an accomplished sports journalist with extensive experience spanning several years across digital, and multimedia platforms. Currently contr... View More