Stuart MacGill's brutally honest verdict on Sandpapergate is causing major controversy

Former Australia leg-spinner Stuart MacGill has claimed that ball-tampering has 'probably' been happening since the start of Test cricket when discussing Usman Khawaja's Sandpapergate claims.

Khawaja has made multiple allegations surrounding the ball-tampering scandal, which occurred during the third Test of Australia's series against South Africa in Cape Town in 2018.

He also claimed that Australia found ways to produce more reverse swing with the pink ball during the 2017/18 Ashes series, writing that the team had 'worked out that, if we raised the flaps up on the quarter seam on that ball, it was almost like it had a rudder on it and it'd start reverse swinging'.

MacGill, who took 208 wickets across 44 Tests for Australia between 1998 and 2008, has given his verdict on Sandpapergate - and it has divided fans.

Stuart MacGill on Sandpapergate

The typically outspoken former leg-spinner, spoke on the 'Fanatics' podcast of the various tactics he had employed to change the condition of the ball when he was playing cricket - including the use of sandpaper.

"Boof [Darren Lehmann, Australian coach at the time of Sandpapergate] thinks it's been happening since day one in Test cricket," MacGill added. "And I think it probably has been.

"Because we know that everybody's doing it, it doesn't feel so bad. Like if I'm playing against South Africa, I know that they've done everything that I've done. So I don't feel bad about it."

MacGill's admission, understandably, received a frosty reception from many viewers in the comments section - though some agreed with his latter point.

"I can't believe what I just heard, it's appalling," one wrote.

"I don't understand why you would find it funny," a second said.

"You know it's bad when the last defence the Aussies have got is 'everyone does it'," a third stated.

What Darren Lehmann said about Sandpapergate

Lehmann, a former Australia batter and more-than-handy spin bowler, was Australia coach at the time of the Sandpapergate scandal. He was cleared of any wrongdoing in Cricket Australia's investigation but decided to step down from his role at the end of the South Africa series, stating that he was 'ultimately responsible for the culture of the team'.

Last week, he told ABC: "I don't think everybody would have known [about Sandpapergate]. But you do know ball-tampering is going on, because it's been happening for 150 years. So it's just how it's being done and how you would know, to that extent, I suppose, and how the bowlers would know, how other players would know. So that's an individual case by case on the players, and I suppose they'll respond with their thoughts and what they know.

"I can't speak for them at all. I can only know what I know, and I know that ball-tampering was a big part of the game of cricket. Now it's obsolete. But that doesn't make it right either, but that's the case, and we paid a heavy price for that. We've just got to accept the consequences that came our way at the time and try to move forward with that."