Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has disclosed a pivotal moment of sportsmanship during the 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering scandal, revealing that he privately told Steve Smith, “You did nothing wrong.” Speaking on Cricinfo’s *Cricketers on Cricketers*, du Plessis recalled the immediate aftermath of the incident where Australia’s leadership was dismantled. He noted that Smith’s public acceptance of blame for Cameron Bancroft’s actions struck a chord, triggering a strong sense of solidarity between the two rival captains who had both navigated intense media scrutiny for similar offenses.
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Du Plessis’s empathy was rooted in his own 2016 experience in Hobart, where he faced a media storm after being accused of using sweet residue to alter the ball’s condition during a Test against Australia. The South African star admitted that seeing Smith absorb the fallout for the 2018 incident mirrored the isolation he felt years prior. “Steve came out at the end of the day saying, ‘I take responsibility,'” du Plessis stated. “And we were like, ‘Why are you taking responsibility? You did nothing wrong.'” This candid admission highlights the complex, often unspoken bonds between competitors who have faced the unique pressure of captaincy and controversy.
The revelation underscores the human element behind the high-profile “Sandpapergate” scandal, which saw Smith, vice-captain David Warner, and Bancroft found guilty of their roles in the incident. While the official verdicts were clear, du Plessis’s comments suggest a different narrative of mutual respect within the cricketing fraternity. By reaching out to Smith, du Plessis demonstrated that despite the competitive intensity of the 2018 tour, the shared trauma of public scrutiny created a bridge between the two teams, offering a nuanced perspective on the rivalry that defined that era of international cricket.
Source: Yahoo Sports
