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Mitre 10 Mega poking fun at Aussie cricket ball tampering scandal

Luke Hempleman
Free sandpaper
Free sheet of sandpaper with every cricket set sold.  Nicole Smith

Customers are flocking to Hornby and Papanui to buy cricket sets - and get some free sandpaper.

Mitre 10 Mega Marketing Manager, Nicole Smith, said she came up with the idea after Australian cricket bowler Cameron Bancroft was found to have tampered with the ball by hiding sandpaper in his pants.

Smith said her team saw a tool brand in Australia posted a sanding belt on their Facebook with the caption, "Perfect for generating a bit of reverse swing - just don't try to hide it in your pants", and wanted to recreate it on a local level and poke a bit of fun at Mitre 10 Mega's Australian opposition.

"We've had a lot of people saying that it's made their day and they're glad we have a good sense of humour.

"[Customers] have come down and bought the cricket set for a laugh and to give to their Aussie mates."

Smith said she posted the photo on Facebook and it's almost gone viral. She said the post has reached over 55,000 people and been shared hundreds of times.

The cricket sets are $30 in store and the promotion will run for another two weeks.