Steve Smith says memories of Sandpapergate still return ahead of SA tour

Steve Smith has recalled the emotional impact of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal ahead of Australia’s Test tour of South Africa. Smith said he still experiences occasional flashbacks but is not concerned about facing a hostile reception on his return

New Delhi: Steve Smith said memories of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal still return to him at times, but the Australia batter is not concerned about facing a hostile reception when he returns to South Africa for a Test series for the first time since the infamous episode.

Smith was among the central figures in the controversy that erupted during Australia’s Test against South Africa in Cape Town in March 2018. He was sent home, suspended for 12 months and removed as Australia captain after admitting his involvement in a plan to alter the condition of the ball using sandpaper.

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David Warner was also banned for a year and stripped of leadership responsibilities, while Cameron Bancroft received a nine-month suspension.

Almost eight years later, Smith is preparing to return to South Africa with Australia for a three-Test series, beginning in Durban on October 9.

The 37-year-old admitted that the events surrounding his suspension remain difficult to completely forget, particularly memories of the intense media attention he faced after leaving South Africa.

“I’m not a big fan of cameras… I get anxious around cameras, to be honest. That was a traumatic experience in my life, and when I hear the flash of a camera, it makes me revisit that in a way,” Smith told News Corp in an interview published on Thursday.

“The 24-48 hours of being told by James Sutherland that I was getting banned for a year. That and going through the airport in Johannesburg getting absolutely mobbed, and then flying back and doing that press conference. I still have little flashbacks here and there of it,” he added.

Smith said the initial days following the scandal were particularly difficult, adding that the experience taught him important lessons.

“It was certainly a difficult period, particularly the initial period a few days after. The mental state I was in was not great. That’s somewhere I’d like not to get to again, but I certainly learned from that and have been able to move forward with my life,” he said.

The series will be Australia’s first Test assignment in South Africa since 2018 and comes after the two teams met in last year’s World Test Championship final at Lord’s.