Steve Smith has only scored 76 runs across four innings in the ongoing Test series against SA (Credit: Cricket Australia)
\n\nSteve Smith returns to the venue that profoundly influenced him eight years after the controversial 2018 Cape Town Test. When he, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft were discovered tampering with the ball in what became known as the "Sandpapergate," the former captain was at the center of one of the worst periods in Australian cricket history. Since the last Test match between South Africa and Australia at the Newlands, a lot has changed. Smith won two World Cups, announced his retirement from ODIs, completed a year-long ban, and rejoined Australia as a stand-in captain. Smith is under scrutiny once more ahead of the third Test final. Runs have been difficult for him, and he is dealing with neck problems. The best part is that Cape Town is less than a day away.
\n\nFaf du Plessis, who lived with Smith in Cape Town at the time of the controversy, sympathised with the 100-Test veteran and remembered the Australian's generosity in the years before Sandpapergate.
\n\n"Steve came out at the end of the day saying: ‘I take responsibility.’ And we were like…
Original source: https://www.timesnownews.com/sports
