Steve Smith says Sandpaper-gate memories still haunt him

Steve Smith said memories of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal still return to him as he prepares to return to South Africa for the first time since the Cape Town Test. The former Australia captain was banned for a year and sacked after the incident.

Smith described the mental state he was in as not great and said memories of the Johannesburg airport mobbing and Sydney press conference still surface when he sees camera flashes. He has tried to block out most of the series from his memory.

Smith said he has become used to dealing with abuse from opposition fans and uses it as motivation. Australia begin their tour of South Africa later this month with three ODIs starting on September 24.