Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Steve Smith has opened up about the lasting impact of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, recalling how he felt isolated during the fallout and describing his emotional return to Australia as one of the most traumatic experiences of his life.
The former Australia captain is preparing to return to South Africa for Test cricket for the first time since the scandal, eight years after the incident at Newlands in Cape Town that resulted in lengthy bans for Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.
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“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 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.”
SMITH’S FALL FROM GRACE IN CAPE TOWN
The scandal erupted during the third Test against South Africa at Newlands in March 2018. Television cameras caught Bancroft using sandpaper to rough up the ball before attempting to conceal the object in his trousers. Smith later admitted he had been aware of the plan but had failed to prevent it.
Smith and Warner were subsequently banned by Cricket Australia for 12 months, while Bancroft received a nine-month ban. Smith was also stripped of the Australia captaincy, with the trio sent home from the South Africa tour.
After arriving back in Sydney, Smith broke down during an emotional press conference as he apologised for his role in the controversy. The images of the tearful former captain became one of the defining moments of the scandal and have remained closely linked to his memories of the episode.
Smith has previously acknowledged that he felt his punishment was harsh, although he 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 before making his Test comeback during the Ashes later that year. Smith marked his return to Test cricket with centuries in both innings of the first Test at Edgbaston.
Now, Smith is looking forward to facing South Africa again. Australia are scheduled to play three ODIs followed by three Tests, with the Test series beginning in Durban on October 9 and the third Test scheduled for Cape Town from October 27.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
