Steve Smith says he felt 'thrown to the wolves' after 2018 Newlands ball-tampering incident
Steve Smith has recalled the aftermath of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal at Newlands in Cape Town and said he will return to South Africa for Test cricket eight years after the incident.
“I felt like I was kind of thrown to the wolves through (Johannesburg) airport. I didn't have any support there at all,” the 37-year-old told the Sydney Daily Telegraph.
The controversy began during the third Test against South Africa at Newlands in March 2018 when television cameras captured Cameron Bancroft using sandpaper to rough up the ball and attempting to hide the object in his trousers; Smith later admitted he had been aware of the plan but had failed to prevent it.
Cricket Australia issued 12-month bans to Smith and David Warner and a nine-month ban to Bancroft; Smith was stripped of the Australia captaincy and the three players were sent home from the tour.
“(The press conference) was a traumatic experience in my life and I still get little flashbacks, when I hear a camera and flashes, I relive it in a way ... They're intertwined in a way,” the 37-year-old said, describing lingering effects when he encounters cameras.
After returning to Sydney Smith broke down during an emotional press conference and apologised for his role in the episode; the images of the tearful former captain have remained closely linked to his recollections of the scandal.
Smith has previously said he felt the punishment was harsh but accepted the sanctions and later said he enjoyed some aspects of the enforced break from the intensity of international cricket; he returned to Australia's squad for the 2019 ODI World Cup and then made his Test comeback during the Ashes later that year.
He marked his return to Test cricket with centuries in both innings of the first Test at Edgbaston, and he has said he is now looking forward to facing South Africa again.
Australia are scheduled to play three ODIs followed by three Tests in South Africa, with the Test series beginning in Durban on October 9 and the third Test set for Cape Town on October 27.
