Steve Smith recalls trauma after sandpaper scandal - Dawn
Australian cricketer Steve Smith said ahead of the Test series in South Africa that he still experiences traumatic memories of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. It will be his first Test series in South Africa since those events: the first match is scheduled for October 9 in Durban, after which the teams will play in Gqeberha and Cape Town.As Dawn reports, in 2018 Smith was sent home, stripped of the Australia captaincy and banned for a year after a conspiracy to alter the condition of the ball with sandpaper during the third Test in Cape Town. David Warner, who was considered the main organizer, was suspended for 12 months and stripped of the right to hold leadership positions. Cameron Bancroft received a nine-month ban.Memories of 2018Smith told News Corp that after the scandal he began to feel anxious because of cameras. According to him, camera flashes take him back to the time when Cricket Australia’s then chief executive James Sutherland informed him about the one-year ban, as well as to his departure from Johannesburg airport and the press conference in Sydney where he broke down in tears.More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.The athlete noted that his mental state in the first days after the punishment was difficult. At the same time, he said that he had learned from the experience and was able to move on. Smith also added that he had tried to forget a significant part of the events of 2018.Expectations for the series in South AfricaAfter 2018, Smith had already travelled to South Africa for a limited-overs series, but had not played Test matches there. He expects a hostile reaction from the stands, but noted that he is accustomed to pressure in away matches, including Ashes series in England.“I try to use it as motivation, to play well and find a positive in it,” Smith said. Since returning to the national team, he has scored 10,920 runs in Test matches at an average of 56.Read us on Telegram and Sends
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