Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has defended Steve Smith's accountability for the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, saying Smith has moved forward from the traumatic period.
Pat Cummins has backed Steve Smith over the 2018 ball-tampering scandal that engulfed Australian cricket in South Africa. The incident, known as Sandpapergate, involved Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft altering the ball during a Test match. Smith and Warner each received 12-month bans from international and domestic cricket, while Bancroft was banned from domestic cricket for nine months.
Smith subsequently served a two-year leadership suspension imposed by Cricket Australia before returning to an official leadership role as Test vice-captain in November 2021, a position he continues to hold alongside Travis Head.
The Australia Test captain spoke extensively about Smith's accountability and how his vice-captain has handled the fallout from the scandal. Cummins emphasised that Smith has taken responsibility for his role in the incident and moved past the traumatic experience. Speaking on November 13, the captain indicated he would not revisit the ball-tampering incident in future discussions, drawing a line under a chapter that has defined much of Smith's recent career trajectory.
"He's (Smith) dealt with this very traumatic time for him a long time ago. He wants to move on. Steve, at the time, I think he said, 'I was captain, I turned a blind eye, I walked past it', and that's exactly what he's conveyed to me as well. He's owned up to it. I think it's a sign of the man that Steve is," Cummins said as quoted by Indian Express.
How has Steve Smith described the trauma of the scandal?
Smith has reflected extensively on the trauma of the scandal and the mental toll it inflicted. In an interview with Code Sports in September 2026, the former captain described the immediate aftermath of his ban as particularly harrowing. He recalled the intense media scrutiny and the lack of support he received during the crisis period.
"I'm not a big fan of cameras, I get anxious around cameras. 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. 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," Smith said.
What support did Smith receive during the crisis?
Smith also described feeling abandoned during the crisis. He explained that he felt isolated when facing the media after the incident and struggled with his mental state in the days following the ban announcement.
The mental impact was severe, with Smith describing his psychological state as particularly difficult during the initial period. He acknowledged the lasting effects but emphasised his determination to move forward and rebuild his career and reputation.
"It was certainly a difficult period, particularly the initial few days after. 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. I can't remember a lot about the series. I've tried to block most of it out of my memory bank," Smith said.