Root says ball-tampering was not rampant during Sandpapergate era

England captain Joe Root said he does not think ball-tampering was pervasive in the sport when the 2018 "Sandpapergate" scandal occurred. Speaking ahead of a three-match ODI series in Australia, Root said he can only comment on his own experience and has no evidence that the practice was common.

"I can only speak from my own experiences, that's not how I feel. We obviously have no idea. It's all speculation. I wasn't in that dressing room. I don't know what went on. I don't want to speculate, as I said. My focus is with this team right now and what we've got coming up," Root told Sky Sports News.

Former Australian batsman Usman Khawaja claimed in his autobiography that all members of the 2017-18 Ashes team were aware of a plot to alter the ball’s condition in South Africa in 2018 and that the side had experimented with lifting the seam during the Ashes. The England and Wales Cricket Board declined to comment when approached for a response.

Cameron Bancroft was filmed applying sandpaper to the ball in Cape Town, leading to a nine-month ban, while then-captain Steve Smith and David Warner received twelve-month suspensions. Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg said there is "no compelling reason" to reopen an investigation into the matter.

Australia’s white-ball captain Mitchell Marsh, who played in the 2018 Test, is expected to address the allegations at a press conference, and bowlers Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, who previously denied knowledge of the tampering, are not part of the upcoming ODIs or T20 matches.