Steve Smith is returning to South Africa for a Test series eight years after the 2018 Sandpaper scandal. He revealed that camera flashes trigger anxiety and flashbacks from a traumatic incident, but said he's learned to move forward since then today.
The infamous 2018 Sandpaper scandal has become Steve Smith’s chapter of dark history that he continues to carry, with the veteran Australian batter is returning to South Africa after 8 years following an incident that shook the cricketing world.
Smith was serving as Australia captain when he, alongside his teammates David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, was caught in a brazen ball-tampering scheme during the Newlands Test against South Africa, an offense that resulted in heavy sanctions and forced the trio into a painful exile from international cricket.
Steve Smith is one of the five players who were part of that original touring squad, joining seasoned teammates like Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Nathan Lyon, who will walk back onto South African pitches to face the ghosts of a turbulent past.
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‘Traumatic Experience of My Life’
As Australia, under Pat Cummins’ leadership, prepares for the upcoming Test series against South Africa, with the opening match taking place at Kingsmead Cricket Stadium in Durban on October 9, Smith finds himself revisiting the mental toll of the Cape Town fallout.
Speaking to CodeSports, the former Australian captain opened up about how the harrowing ordeal still echoes in his mind, stating that the flash of a camera makes him revisit the traumatic experience, which almost derailed his illustrious career.
“I’m not a big fan of cameras. I get anxious around cameras, to be honest.” Smith said.
“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. The 24-48 hours of being told by James Sutherland (then Cricket Australia chief executive) 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.
Before Smith, alongside Warner and Bancroft, was deported back to Australia following a shocking incident, he scored 142 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 23.66 in six innings. Smith and Warner were banned from playing professionally for a year, while Bancroft was handed a 9-month ban.
Smith Opens Up About His Mental Struggles After Sandpapergate
Further speaking on the Sandpaper scandal in South Africa, Steve Smith admitted that it was an extremely difficult period, particularly in the immediate aftermath, as he struggled to cope with the mental toll of the incident.
“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,” the 37-year-old said.
“I can’t remember a lot about the series. I’ve tried to block most of it out of my memory bank,” he added.
Though Steve Smith’s return to South Africa eight years after the scandal brings back heavy memories, the veteran Australian batter noted that hostile crowds and boos are something he has grown accustomed to across his career. However, he believes the overall reception has softened significantly over time.
In South Africa Tests, Smith has aggregated 411 runs, including a century and two fifties, at an average of 41.1 in 11 innings.
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