Faf du Plessis says Cricket Australia overreacted in Sandpaper Gate punishments

Former South African captain Faf du Plessis has revisited the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, publicly criticising how Cricket Australia handled the fallout. Du Plessis expressed sympathy for Cameron Bancroft, arguing that the media coverage of the batsman was disproportionately harsh. He suggested that financial penalties alone would have been a sufficient response to Bancroft's involvement in the incident. Du Plessis further contended that the bans handed down were excessive relative to the role Bancroft actually played in the controversy.