Traumatised Smith says he was 'thrown to wolves' over 'sandpapergate'

Australia batter Steve Smith says he is still traumatised by the aftermath of the 'sandpapergate' ball-tampering scandal in 2018 and still gets flashbacks.

The Aussies are set to play their first Test series in South Africa since Smith and two team-mates were sent home before the fourth and final Test of that tour.

Cameron Bancroft was caught tampering with the ball by rubbing it with sandpaper during South Africa's second innings of the third Test between the two sides.

Following the end of that day's play, Bancroft admitted he attempted to alter the condition of the ball, with Australia captain Smith later admitting to having knowledge of it.

Smith was stripped of the captaincy and banned for a year by Cricket Australia, and broke down in tears as he apologised during a news conference at Sydney airport.

"I'm not a big fan of cameras, I get anxious around cameras," he said in an interview with News Corp,, external published on Thursday.

"That was a traumatic experience in my life and when I hear the flash of a camera it makes me revisit that, in a way."

Vice-captain David Warner was also banned for a year while Bancroft was banned for nine months.

Australia's then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said the affair "bitterly disappointed the whole nation" and there was intense media attention on Smith as he left South Africa and on his return to Australia.

Smith added: "The 24-48 hours after being told by James Sutherland (then Cricket Australia chief executive) that I was getting banned for a year, going through the airport in Johannesburg getting absolutely mobbed, and then flying back and doing that press conference... I still have little flashbacks here and there of it.

"I felt like I was kind of thrown to the wolves through [Johannesburg] airport. I didn't have any support there at all."

The 37-year-old returned to the Australia team in 2019 and re-established himself as one of the best batters in world cricket.

After a two-year leadership ban, he was named Australia's Test vice-captain before the 2021-22 Ashes series and has stood in as captain when Pat Cummins has been unavailable.

"It was certainly a difficult period, particularly the initial few days after," Smith said. "The mental state I was in was not great.

"That's somewhere I'd like not to get to again, but I certainly learned from that and have been able to move forward with my life.

"I've tried to kind of erase a lot of 2018 and what happened," he added. "I can't remember a lot about the series. I've tried to block most of it out of my memory bank."

Smith has returned to South Africa for a one-day series in 2020 and has played in front of hostile crowds during multiple Ashes tours to England.

"It's something I'm kind of used to," Smith said. "I've copped a lot at times away from home, at different venues across my career, and it's something that I take in my own stride.

"I use it as motivation to try and go out and do well, and try and take a positive from it."

Australia's three-Test series in South Africa begins in Durban on 9 October.