The former Australian captain, Steven Smith who is suffering a 12-month ban from Cricket Australia following the infamous ball-tampering scandal in March 2018, spoke to the media for the first time since his suspension. Steve Smith has opened up on his ‘dark days’ and said that there were times when he didn’t want to get out of bed after the sandpaper-gate scandal took place a match against South Africa in Cape Town.
Recently he was also barred by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) from Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) but the reason was not the ban following the ball-tampering incident instead his participation in the league was denied by other BPL franchises saying it was a violation of the rule of the contest.
While addressing media for the first time after the incident Smith said, “I’ve had tough days, I’ve had my ups and downs. But I’ve been really fortunate to have a close group of people around me to help me through those difficult times. There have been some dark days where I haven’t wanted to get out of bed and things like that. But I’ve had a close group of people around me to help me know that it’s OK,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia.
“I’ve made a mistake and it was a big mistake and I’m trying to move on from that and improve as a person,” he said.
Talking about on-going India vs Australia series he praised the fellow teammates and captain Tim Paine on levelling the series in the Perth test match. He said, “Tim Paine has been exceptional as captain. But I was really proud of the way the boys played last week in Perth.”
“I thought they were magnificent and I think Tim Paine’s leadership has been exceptional since taking over as captain. It’s been tough (watching) at times, particularly when the boys haven’t played their best in a couple of games. It’s been hard watching and knowing that I can’t go out and help them. But I was really proud of the way the boys played last week in Perth,” he continued.
Australia and India will contest each other in the Third Test on December 26 in Melbourne, where both the sides will look forward to taking a lead in the series, which is currently level at 1-1.
