By Razeen Gutta
The sandpaper scandal feels so long ago, but that infamous series was the last time South Africa and Australia faced off in red ball cricket. This time, the Proteas are Down Under, and the hosts have a point to prove.
One moment in Cape Town four years ago sent shockwaves through the cricketing world — as members of the Australian team used sandpaper on a ball in a bid to secure an unfair bowling advantage.
After being one of the players to have been banned for a year in the aftermath of that incident, Steve Smith says it is all in the past.
“The cricket we have played over the last four and a half years, we have played in the right way. We have been hard and played in the right spirit,” he says.
Smith will not captain the side, given the return of Pat Cummins from injury, and will instead focus on carrying on his form from the West Indies series, where he scored a double century.
“Hopefully we can continue the way we’ve started the summer. I feel in a good place, I feel like I’m batting nicely. So for us nothing changes; we’re just going to continue to go about our business and hopefully play good, entertaining cricket,” he adds.
The first of three tests gets under way at The Gabba in Brisbane in the early hours of Saturday morning, with every ball being broadcast live on SuperSport for South African viewers.
Pictured above: Steve Smith
Image source: @Sport360
