Nathan Lyon’s 300th wicket ball revealed as the hidden victim of Australia’s infamous 2018 Sandpapergate saga

From the start of his illustrious Test career, Nathan Lyon has collected every one of his milestone balls. All, that is, except one. He reveals to Ben Horne the ongoing hidden cost of Australia’s darkest cricketing hour.

Nathan Lyon has become a hidden victim of cricket’s infamous sandpapergate scandal following the mysterious disappearance of the ball which clinched one of his most treasured milestones.

Six years after the ball tampering controversy engulfed Australian cricket, a new, untold story can be revealed from that infamous Cape Town Test.

Completely overshadowed by events that had taken place the previous day at Newlands, Lyon actually claimed his 300th Test wicket in the same innings, an unfortunate coincidence which has set the avid collector of cricket memorabilia on a wild goose chase ever since.

“(Kagiso) Rabada stumped was my 300th wicket. It was at the Cape Town Test,” Lyon said.

“I haven’t seen that ball since, unfortunately.”

Cameron Bancroft adjusts the front of his trousers during day 3 of the 3rd Test match Newlands on March 24, 2018. Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images

Even though Lyon’s delivery to join the rarefied 300-club came with the second new ball of the innings and not the one used when Cameron Bancroft was busted putting sandpaper in his underwear, it too was taken into custody by officials to assist with the ICC’s desire to conduct a thorough investigation into the goings on in that match.

“Yeah, I think with everything that happened that game, they took it to have a look at it all,” Lyon said.

Two years passed with no answer from the ICC on whether they would agree to Lyon’s request for the prized ball to be sent back to him, when the champion off-spinner implored an Australian cricketing legend to take up the hunt in Dubai on his behalf.

“It was actually David Boon. I bumped into him on the balcony of the team hotel in the Covid summer of 2020-21 and being an ICC match referee he reached out to them (the ICC) through his work and tried to find it, and apparently it’s gone missing,” Lyon said.

“Don’t know where it is.

“There’s been no more correspondence. It is what it is.”

Lyon’s 300th ball has officially become collateral damage in the sandpapergate scandal. The milestone turned into a millstone.

Nathan Lyon celebrates taking his 300th wicket - Kagiso Rabada stumped - in the Sandpapergate match in South Africa. Picture: AFP PHOTO / GIANLUIGI GUERCIA

The champion spinner knows it’s not the end of the world, but as a cricket romantic and tragic historian of the game who has every other milestone ball of his career from his first wicket through to his 500th Test scalp, it’s a missing piece of his extraordinary journey he dearly would love to have got back.

“My wife has done an amazing piece of artwork where she’s put all the milestone balls or achievements on a wall at home which looked pretty special,” Lyon said.

“It’s something I’m proud about and it’s a bit of motivation as well when you walk past it on the way out to work every day.

“… To see the success I’ve been able to have and understand that all the hard work can pay off.

“I’ve collected from the start. Very much so. I’ve got my first ever Big Bash wicket ball at home, from a very long time ago, to my first five-for on Test debut.

“It goes back a long way but it’s something I’m proud about and now my girls are starting to get old enough to ask questions about what’s this and what’s that. Although I think they’re more excited about the pink ones rather than the red ones.

Australian cricket legend David Boon - in his role as an ICC match referee, reached out to the ICC about the ball on Nathan Lyon’s behalf. Picture: Hamish Blair / AFP

“I’m grateful for that but at the end of the day I guess I can just throw a ball in there and say it’s the 300th and no one will know, will they?

“(At the moment) it’s just a blank space.”

So what has happened to this completely innocent ball?

Has it genuinely been misplaced? Did the ICC consciously do away with the evidence? Is it still tucked away in a top drawer somewhere in the game’s Dubai headquarters?

For what it’s worth, umpires didn’t even change the original sandpaper ball, which shows that whatever was being done to it by Bancroft didn’t make an iota of difference to the quality of the ball.

Lyon has given up hope of it ever being returned and is instead setting his sights on the next milestone, with 600 and even Shane Warne’s magical 700 mark still within reach.

“I’ve got a few more things to do,” Lyon said.

“That one’s gone, that’s sailed away. But that’s OK, I’m OK with it.

“I don’t know what happened there. At the end of the day it’s a cricket ball and they can be lost pretty easy. It’s not the first one I’ve lost and I dare say it won’t be the last, just hopefully I won’t lose any more milestone ones.”