Steve Smith is still haunted by the infamous 2018 ball-tampering scandal, as he was banned for a year and was sacked from the captaincy. Meanwhile, as he prepares for his return to South Africa, the 37-year-old has revealed that it still traumatises him to this day.
Smith has spoken candidly about the emotional scars left by the scandal, saying he felt “thrown to the wolves” during the aftermath. The former Australia captain described the experience as deeply traumatic. After the incident at Newlands in Cape Town, where teammate Cameron Bancroft was caught using sandpaper on the ball, and Smith admitted knowledge of the plan, he returned home via Johannesburg airport with little support.
Steve Smith opens up on 2018 ball-tampering scandal trauma ahead of South Africa return
Smith later faced a highly charged press conference that he ranks among the most difficult moments of his life. He has said he still experiences flashbacks triggered by the sound of camera shutters and flashes. In an interview, he told News Corp.:
“I’m not a big fan of cameras ... I get anxious around cameras to be honest.”
Smith added:
“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 added that the mental state he was in was ‘not great’ and he struggled in that period, especially in the beginning days. The top-order batter revealed that it was the moment he would not want to return to again. However, those difficult moments have taught him many things, and he has learned from the occurrence and can move forward with his life. He added:
“I’ve tried to kind of erase a lot of 2018 and what happened."
The scandal resulted in 12-month bans for both Smith and David Warner, a nine-month ban for Bancroft, and the stripping of Smith’s captaincy. Smith’s comments come as Australia prepares for a three-Test series in South Africa, beginning in Durban on 9 October. The third Test will be played in Cape Town from 27 October, marking Smith’s first return to the ground where the controversy unfolded eight years ago.
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