'What Flintoff said was correct': Salman Butt says Australia bowlers not knowing about ball-tampering is 'not possible'

Salman Butt has lashed out at the Australian bowling attack that played the Cape Town Test in 2018, after it claimed having no knowledge of 'foreign substance' being brought out to the field, which later led to the infamous Sandpaper Gate scandal.

Salman Butt has lashed out at the Australian bowling attack that played the Cape Town Test in 2018, after it claimed having no knowledge of 'foreign substance' being brought out to the field, which later led to the infamous Sandpaper Gate scandal.

File image of Salman Butt. (Getty Images)

In 2018, during a Test match at Newlands, Cape Town, between South Africa and Australia, three players were punished and banned for a certain period of time for using sandpaper to change the condition of the ball to benefit their bowlers. While Cameron Bancroft, who was caught on camera carrying out the act received a nine-month ban, the then-captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner received a 12-month ban each.

The issue picked up pace again after Bancroft, in an interview with the Guardian, said it is pretty 'self-explanatory' that the bowlers were aware. Numerous former cricketers, including former Aussie captain Michael Clarke and wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist, concurred with Bancroft's statement.

"It is not true that the bowl is reverse (swinging) and the bowlers do not know. There are players in the team who are responsible for making sure the bowlers get reverse swing. The aim is to keep it as shiny as possible and keep rubbing it over the passage of time and after a point, the ball starts to reverse." said Butt.

Butt concluded his point, stating that whenever the ball begins to reverse, even the dressing room gets to know and remarked that there is no way the bowlers did not know.

"Hence, it is not possible for the team or the dressing room to know that the ball is not reversing. The moment it does, we see bowlers being changed. What Flintoff said was absolutely correct that how can the bowlers, for whom the ball is prepared, not know?"

Why were no bowlers punished?

Butt took a dig at the quality of investigation. He said they failed to investigate the incident properly at first and now there is noise about it. Butt also expressed shock over the fact that no bowlers were punished for an act that involved bowlers using the object of discussion. In a sarcastic tone, he commended the decision-makers of this investigation, saying they did a terrific job.

"Bancroft was preparing the ball. Steve Smith, the captain, knew, and even David Warner was involved. All those punished were batsmen but not even a single bowler was. I commend the person who took these decisions," Butt said.

"I mean the ball is reverse swinging, the case is of ball-tampering and punishments have been given out. But no one paid attention to those who were actually bowling with it. Fear the god and stop confusing people."