File Pic: Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft
Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has recalled reaching out to Steve Smith during the 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering controversy, questioning why the Australian had taken responsibility for the incident while expressing solidarity with a rival who had previously stood by him during his own ball-tampering scandal. Speaking on Cricinfo’s Cricketers on Cricketers, du Plessis said Smith’s response to the controversy had reminded him of the media storm he faced in 2016, when he was accused of using residue from a sweet to alter the condition of the ball during a Test against Australia in Hobart. Smith, Australia’s captain at the time, was at the centre of a major controversy during the 2018 tour of South Africa after Cameron Bancroft was caught attempting to alter the ball’s condition with sandpaper in the Cape Town Test. “Steve came out at the end of the day [in Cape Town in 2018] saying: ‘I take responsibility. Du Plessis also recalled how Smith had defended him during the 2016 Hobart controversy, when accusations of cheating began to spread internationally.
You did nothing wrong,'” du Plessis said. Du Plessis said he immediately empathised with Smith as the controversy escalated and the Australian faced intense media scrutiny. So if you need anything from us, we’re here,” he told Cricinfo. The South African said the situation had initially appeared relatively minor to his dressing room, before the growing media attention turned it into a major issue.
Smith and vice-captain David Warner were also found guilty of their roles in the incident. And we were like: ‘Why are you taking responsibility? Drawing parallels with his own experience, the former South African skipper sent Smith a message of support, assuring him that he understood the pressure he was going through. “And then everything just exploded in terms of the media and how he was being put under pressure. Straight away, I was like: this is not his doing. This is the same thing [as my ball-tampering charge]. I remember sending a message and saying: ‘Listen, I’m so sorry you are going through this. Just be strong. It’s going to be a hell for a week or so and then it will probably blow over. Never knowing that it was going to be a year for him to go through. But just saying… we’re behind you. We understand you did nothing wrong. The former South Africa captain admitted he had not anticipated the severity of the punishment that would follow, with Cricket Australia eventually imposing one-year suspensions on Smith and Warner and removing Smith from the captaincy. Bancroft received a nine-month ban, while the International Cricket Council handed Smith a one-Test suspension.