Forgotten revenge mission facing Aussies amid sandpaper hype
Updated . First published
Australia’s red-ball return to South Africa brings with it many storylines, none bigger than the infamous sandpaper scandal from eight years ago.
The Test cricket scene looks vastly different to how it did then, and no country is more representative of that than South Africa.
Temba Bavuma holds the winner’s trophy after South Africa’s World Test Championship victory. AP
The country’s cricket association has gone all-in on T20 cricket, so it’s no surprise there hasn’t been a red-ball match in South Africa since January 2025. To add to that, fast-bowler Anrich Nortje hasn’t played a Test in three years, while Gerald Coetzee has been absent from the arena for two years.
While the priority may be with short-form cricket from the governing body, South Africa’s Test outfit still oozes quality.
Sandpaper might be the biggest talking point but what’s been forgotten is a revenge mission for Australia.
The number one Test nation was shocked in June 2025 when South Africa won the World Test Championship final by five wickets.
That result came after the Proteas sent a second-string team to New Zealand the year before after it clashed with the SA20.
From that WTC final team, Lungi Ngidi is the only player out of the first Test squad with injury, while Kagiso Rabada is racing the clock to be fit.
For Australia, Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green are the names from that contest who will definitely not feature in the first Test. The latter due to injury.
Australia’s lineup has changed slightly since that Lord’s fixture, with Marnus Labuschagne unlikely to open again while Green’s days at No.3 appear over. Head batted at five but is now making the opening spot his to lose.
In reality, not much has changed since and Australia has the chance to make up for that loss and prove why they’re top of the ICC Test rankings.
But this series will be special for South Africa’s fans too because the team has not played Test cricket in the country since that WTC victory.
“It’s bizarre we’ve had no Test cricket since winning the World Test Championship,” Shaun Pollock said on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast.
Temba Bavuma addresses his playing squad. ICC via Getty Images
“How that panned out is still a bit of a shock to me. But I’m sure the World Test Championship mace will be paraded around all the venues considering it is Australia that we will be playing.”
So what are the big talking points ahead of this series?
Will sandpaper saga have an impact?
All the build up for this series has focused on revisiting 2018 when Steve Smith, Cameron Bancroft and David Warner were banned for ball-tampering.
Australia hasn’t played Test cricket there since that incident.
However, short-form cricket has been played, which will take some sting out of the moment.
Fans in South Africa will have their sandpaper in the crowd, jeering the Aussies but will it impact the players?
That’s the only consideration from Sandpaper-gate and under Pat Cummins it’s hard to see how this squad will let that impact them too much.
Smith is the last man standing out of the banned trio and is perfectly capable of letting his bat do the talking.
“I’m sure there’ll be a few people coming dressed up in accordance with sandpaper-gate ... I don’t think it will be over-the-top, there’ll be some continual reminding of it but I don’t think it will be too intense,” Pollock said.
English fans use yellow cutouts mimicking sandpaper to mock Smith, Warner and Bancroft during an Ashes series. Getty
How does Maddinson fit into the team?
When Nic Maddinson was announced as a late inclusion to the squad after Josh Inglis’ injury, there was confusion and surprise.
Of course, there’s the human interest element of the story. Maddinson’s selection after recovering from testicular cancer is a significant moment in his career and has to be celebrated.
However, there’s also the on-field element that must be analysed or criticised if you’re Matthew Hayden.
“Where we are at is that we are promoting the greatest pile of mediocrity that we’ve seen in a generation of cricket,” the 54-year old said on the All Over Bar The Cricket podcast.
“And if we continue to lay that out and expect that a bloke averaging 35 is going to average 55 in Test match cricket, (selectors) George Bailey and Tony Dodemaide, you are dreaming.
“I will just put it that simply. You are frigging dreaming.
“And you are piling up this dog shit explanation, and you are, in my opinion, disrespecting first class cricket. Absolutely dead set you are.
“You should be picking guys that are averaging 45 or more, and you can’t because they don’t want to play.”
Nic Maddinson has been parachuted into the Australian Test team. Getty Images
When this quote was posted on Instagram, Hayden was questioned about who is actually averaging 45 in Shield cricket right now.
The former opener fired back that his point was around a wider issue facing Australian cricket.
“No one … but that’s not the point,” he replied on Instagram.
“We need to continue to push the envelope. To stay number one, including winning the WTC, which we no longer hold, a whole of country approach which promotes excellence across the board is required.”
Maddinson’s selection came off the back of a century in one-day cricket with Australia’s coach Andrew McDonald explaining that the left-hander can bat from the middle to top order and has ability against spin and pace bowling.
McDonald had also said Maddinson was one of the leading players from 2018 to 2024 in Shield cricket.
His stats across those seasons were:
- 563 runs at 80.42 (2018/19)
- 780 runs at 86.66 (2019/20)
- 373 runs at 31.08 (2020/21)
- 545 runs at 54.50 (2021/22)
- 163 runs at 16.30 (2022/23)
- 361 runs at 51.57 (2023/24)
- 267 runs at 17.80 (2024/25)
Mitch Marsh had also been thrown up as a possible selection, despite retiring from first-class cricket.
Both ideas suggest the selection process with Australian cricket has officially changed.
No longer is it about runs in Shield cricket, and it can’t be because last season Peter Handscomb topped the run-scorers list with 724 at 34.47. Sam Harper, who was called up alongside Maddinson, was next on the tally with 677 at 35.63.
Those stats suggest 35 is the new 45 in red-ball cricket, but will that cut it in Tests?
It hasn’t so far because the likes of Jake Weatherald and Nathan McSweeney have been chewed up and spat out of the squad.
The reality around Maddinson’s selection is there’s a world where he won’t play a single Test.
Currently, it looks like the batting order will need someone at No.5 with Cameron Green injured.
Alex Carey and Beau Webster won’t move up the order from No.6 and No.7 so the spot could go to Maddinson, Harper or Cooper Connolly. With the latter first picked in the squad, it’d be a surprise to see selectors go elsewhere. But they’ve surprised before.
How much pressure is Labuschagne under?
The talk around Shield runs brings us to the Australian No.3.
Labuschagne is back under pressure after another lean series against Bangladesh.
The reality is, Australia needs Marnus Labuschagne to perform.
At his best, he is the best.
The fact he’s managed to stay in and around the Test squad proves there’s no else out there.
At 32, and with a regeneration on the horizon, he’s in that sweet spot of the experienced player Australia needs to stick around.
Marnus Labuschagne of Australia. Getty Images
When he was dropped following the World Test Championship, Labuschagne proved he’s a cut above the rest with two centuries early in the Sheffield Shield season.
Australia’s had no choice but to persist with him but the runs haven’t come.
This series feels like it’s the last chance saloon.
He’s started strong, scoring 111 in the warm-up match against the Cricket South Africa Invitational XI. While that might be a score at first-class standards, it’s runs nonetheless and maybe the confidence boost that could control Australia’s fortunes.
