Tim Paine: Cricket South Africa says ball tampering allegations 'unfortunate' in time

Steve Smith and David Warner were banned for one year and Cameron Bancroft nine months for their role in tampering with the balloon during the third test in Cape Town in March 2018.

Paine, who was later named test captain at instead of Smith, claimed South Africa tampered with the ball in the ensuing test.

CSA said Paine's allegation "could have been useful had it been published at the time, when the rot game was being rooted out".

He added: "CSA and Cricket Australia (CA) are committed to this matter and the necessary sanctions imposed at the time. Both bodies reiterated their commitment to a game that is clean, pampered with excellence, brave and above reproach.

"So CSA respects the right of individuals to express their opinions, it also calls on everyone who loves the game to report any reports of on-field misconduct in a timely manner and not wait for time to run out.

< p class="" data-reactid=".1xomvp4nmu2.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-7">"This will help relevant authorities within the system to investigate and apply relevant sanctions if necessary."< /p>

Paine, who stepped down as captain late last year , claimed footage of a South African player handling the ball "got t lost" after being shown on t it sifts through in the fourth test.

Discussing events in his autobiography, the 37-year-old goalkeeper wrote: "I was standing on the side of the bowlers at the next test when a shot appeared on the screen from a South African player halfway through the ball with a huge crack .

"We went to the refs about this, which might sound a bit poor, but we had been slaughtered and were convinced they were up to it since the first Test.

"But the images got lost. As he would."

CA declined to comment.

Bancroft was photographed with a piece of sandpaper in the field during the third test in Cape Town.

He, then Captain Smith and Vice-Captain Warner have since apologized for their role in the scandal, along with Smith and Warner since returning to the national team on a regular basis ability.

Paine denied the scandal was public knowledge in the locker room, but said the team should have taken responsibility as a whole.

"Everyone was part of it in a certain way. Would it have worked better for these three players if we owned him as a team? I think it would," he said.

Paine resigned from his post of captain in November 2021 following an investigation into historical sexually explicit ...