Meet the man who caught Bancroft's ball-tampering act on camera
What's the story
On the fateful day when Australian cricketers hung their heads in shame over the ball tampering scandal, a South African named Zotani Oscar went viral on social media. Oscar is the cameraman who brought to light, the misdemeanour of Cameron Bancroft. This incident is now infamously being referred as the 'sandpaper gate.' Here's more about the cameraman Oscar.
Twitter Post
Sehwag's trademark funny yet appreciative tweet about Oscar
Gaur se Dekhiye is shaks ko. Oscar - the cameraman. Inke camera se bachna mushkil hi nahi namumkin hai #SandpaperGate pic.twitter.com/NH5EGSdbuJ
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) March 24, 2018
Suited up
Oscar is popular for his dapper dressing
Oscar is famous for wearing a suit. Oscar said, "In 2007-08 season when New Zealand visited South Africa, one of the cameramen got sick while I was working." Oscar went as his replacement dressed in a suit and ever since it became a tradition. He also doesn't want to expose his skin to the sun. Interestingly, he got the suit made in Kolkata.
Caught in the act
How did the episode pan out?
The initial footage showed Cameron Bancroft rubbing the ball using some object. Once the incident was highlighted on TV, Australian coach Darren Lehman was seen communicating with Peter Handscomb on a walkie-talkie. Handscomb then went on field and told Bancroft that he has been caught on camera. Bancroft "panicked" and hid the object, used to alter the condition of the ball, in his pants.
Timing the capture
"Credit to the cameramen"
South African commentator Neil Manthorp said that the camera crew at the Cape Town ground had a hunch about Bancroft. "They could see that something peculiar was going on. You wouldn't have picked it from the stands or from normal TV coverage...it took some pretty skilled cameraman to pick it up." Reportedly, the cameramen searched for 90 minutes to catch Bancroft's ball-tampering act.