Steve Smith has expressed that he remains affected by the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, known as “Sandpapergate,” as he gears up for his first Test series in South Africa since the incident. The former Australia captain was sent home in disgrace following the scandal, which involved using sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball during the third Test in Cape Town. Smith received a one-year ban and was removed from his captaincy role. Alongside him, David Warner, identified as a key figure in the conspiracy, also faced a 12-month suspension and lost all leadership positions. Cameron Bancroft, who was directly involved, received a nine-month ban for his role in the incident.
Smith, preparing for the first Test in Durban on October 9 before the series moves to Gqeberha and Cape Town, said he still suffers flashbacks to a traumatic period of his life. “The 24-48 hours of being told by James Sutherland (then-Cricket Australia chief executive) that I was getting banned for a year.
I get anxious around cameras to be honest,” he told News Corp. in an interview published Thursday. “It was certainly a difficult period, particularly the initial period a few days after,” he said. I’ve copped a lot at times away from home at different venues across my career and it’s something that I take in my own stride,” he said.
“I’m not a big fan of cameras … That and going through the airport in Johannesburg getting absolutely mobbed, and then flying back and doing that press conference. “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. “It’s something I’m kind of used to.
