Africa-Press – South-Africa. Proteas batter Rassie van der Dussen has responded to the recent reports regarding David Warner and his involvement in the 2018 Sandpaper-gate scandal.
The scandal has made headlines this week following Warner’s attempt to overturn his lifetime leadership ban following his role in the ball-tampering saga against the Proteas at Newlands.
Warner served a year ban after he was branded as one of the main instigators alongside then-captain Steve Smith and opener Cameron Bancroft.
Last month, Cricket Australia (CA) amended its player code of conduct, allowing Warner to request a review of his captaincy ban before an independent panel.
On Wednesday, Warner withdrew a bid to overturn his leadership ban, claiming an independent review panel wanted to “conduct a public lynching” and it would be traumatic for him and his family.
In a latest twist, Warner’s manager on Thursday claimed that two executives laid the foundations in Hobart in 2016, two years prior to the ball-tampering incident in Cape Town.
At the same time, an Amazon Prime documentary series called, The Test premiered and follows the Australian team and their path to redemption following the ball-tampering scandal.
The documentary is co-produced by CA and focuses on Tim Paine and Justin Langer steering Australia in the aftermath of the incident.
The Proteas are in Australia for a three-match Test series over the festive season, starting with the first Test on 17 December in Brisbane.
When asked what he felt about the 2018 saga being resurfaced in the media, Van der Dussen said he wasn’t too interested or fazed by the news.
“I am amazed, but I also don’t really spend too much attention on it,” Van der Dussen told reporters on Thursday.
“The internal politics, I suppose that’s going on and I see there’s a season 2 of The Test releasing, so maybe that’s a bit of that involved as well.
“I suppose controversy sells and people want to stay relevant. To be honest with you, I don’t take too much interest in what they’ve done. I think actions speak louder than words and there are a lot of words going around.
“What’s happened has happened, it’s pretty well-documented. So to talk about it now doesn’t faze me too much.”
The Proteas will also have an unofficial four-day match against a Cricket Australia XI from 9-12 December at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane.
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