New Delhi: Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has recalled how Steve Smith’s handling of the 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering controversy reminded him of his own experience two years earlier, prompting him to reach out to his Australian counterpart with a message of support during one of the most difficult periods of his career.
Du Plessis said he empathised with Smith after the latter accepted responsibility for the incident during the Test series against South Africa, even as the controversy triggered widespread criticism.
“Steve came out at the end of the day (in Cape Town in 2018) saying: ‘I take responsibility.’ And we were like: ‘Why are you taking responsibility? You did nothing wrong,’” du Plessis recalled speaking to Cricinfo.
Smith was subsequently banned for one Test by the ICC, while Cricket Australia imposed a 12-month suspension on him and David Warner, with Cameron Bancroft receiving a nine-month ban. The scandal erupted after Bancroft was caught attempting to alter the ball’s condition using sandpaper during the Cape Town Test.
For du Plessis, the episode brought back memories of the controversy he faced in Hobart in 2016, when he was found guilty of changing the ball’s condition using saliva containing residue from a sweet. He said the backlash had escalated beyond what the South African team initially anticipated, making Smith’s public support particularly meaningful.
“At the time, in our dressing room, honestly, we thought nothing has happened badly,” du Plessis said. “But cameras [were] everywhere. And it just got built up into this thing now. All of a sudden, I was in real trouble. It was going around the world, people saying, ‘Cheating.’ That weighs heavy on you,” he said.
Du Plessis revealed that he contacted Smith after the Cape Town incident, recognising the pressure his former rival was facing. He admitted, however, that he had underestimated how long the consequences would follow the Australian.
“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. So if you need anything from us, we’re here,” the former Proteas skipper said.
The former South African skipper also remembered Smith defending him publicly during the 2016 controversy, despite Australia trailing 0-2 in the Test series after the Adelaide match. Du Plessis said Smith could easily have capitalised on the situation but instead chose to speak in his defence.
“He was asked: What are your thoughts on Faf du Plessis and Mintgate, and it’s terrible, he’s cheating. And he’s like, no, he’s not. He’s just shining the ball. I’ve been in many teams where we shine the ball, we use different sweets,” du Plessis stated.
Recalling the reaction within the South African dressing room, du Plessis said Smith’s intervention earned him considerable respect from the team.
“We were listening to it on the TV and literally everyone in our group was like, ‘Wow, he doesn’t have to do that.’ That was a choice where he went: I’m going to choose probably the human, the right thing, versus the pressure thing. That was amazing for me to see. I remember just saying that that meant a lot to the South African team and the respect that we got for Steve Smith that day,” he said. IANS
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