Steve Smith Says Camera Flashes Still Recall Ball-Tampering Scandal
Steve Smith says he is uneasy around cameras as Australia prepares to return to Cape Town for Test cricket. The batter has described the lasting effect of the…
Steve Smith says he will be “fine” as Australia returns to Cape Town for Test cricket, but camera flashes still bring back memories of the ball-tampering scandal that changed his career. The batter told CODE Sports he remains uneasy around cameras ahead of his return to South Africa.
Smith’s comments put the emotional cost of that episode back in focus as Australia prepares for a three-Test series. He has not played a Test tour in South Africa since 2018, according to Yahoo Sports.
“I'm not a big fan of cameras … I get anxious around cameras to be honest,” Smith said in the interview, as quoted by Yahoo Sports.
“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 comments refer to the scandal during the third Test between Australia and South Africa at Newlands, Cape Town, in March 2018. Cameron Bancroft was caught with sandpaper while attempting to tamper with the ball, Yahoo Sports reported.
Smith was Australia’s captain at the time. Cricket Australia gave him a 12-month ban and removed him from the captaincy. David Warner received a similar punishment, while Bancroft was suspended for nine months, according to the report.
Smith described the period around the announcement of his ban and his return home as the hardest part. He recalled being told by then Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland that he would be banned for a year, followed by being mobbed at Johannesburg airport and holding a press conference after flying back.
“I felt like I was kind of thrown to the wolves through the [Johannesburg] airport. I didn't have any support there at all,” Smith said.
He and Bancroft travelled under police escort from the airport amid the controversy, Yahoo Sports reported. Smith later broke down in tears during a press conference in Sydney.
The episode remains relevant to Smith’s return because the trip takes him back to South Africa and Cape Town, where the scandal unfolded. His account also shows that the impact he describes is not limited to the original ban: he says the sound and flash of cameras can still trigger anxiety.
Australia’s tour includes a three-match ODI series before the Test series. The first Test is scheduled for Kingsmead in Durban, with the other matches in Gqeberha and Cape Town, according to Yahoo Sports. The source says Smith is part of Australia’s 16-player Test squad.
Smith said the ordeal at the Johannesburg airport and the press conference were among the most difficult moments of his life. “That and going through the airport in Johannesburg getting absolutely mobbed, and then flying back and doing that press conference (was my toughest moment),” he said.
Source: abc.net.au
