When Steve Smith steps onto the pitch for Australia’s upcoming Test cricket series against the Proteas, it will mark his first time wearing the baggy green in South Africa since the catastrophic 2018 ‘Sandpaper-gate’ scandal in Newlands.
For South African cricket fans, the immediate temptation is obvious: look for the nearest hardware store, buy a sheet of yellow grit, and start chanting from the stands.
But as the old saying goes, just because something is “fair game” doesn’t mean it’s the right play.
Technically, Smith is fair game for the traditionally boisterous banter of South African cricket culture. He was the captain of an Australian team caught in one of the most cynical, premeditated cheating scandals in modern sports history.
He didn’t just break the rules; he fractured the self-righteous image of Australian cricket. The hostile environment of South African grounds is legendary, and a bit of psychological pressure from the crowd is part of the home-ground advantage.
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Steven Smith is returning to South Africa
However, there is a distinct line between clever gamesmanship and beating a dead horse. If South African fans spend this entire tour relentlessly heckling Smith about 2018, they aren’t being tough, they are being lazy.
The merit of sledging a player relies entirely on its ability to break their focus. The problem with using ‘Sandpaper-gate’ to rattle Steve Smith in 2026 is that it simply won’t work. Smith has already walked through the fire.
He served a one-year ban, lost the captaincy, and returned to face a fiercely hostile English crowd during the 2019 Ashes. He responded by scoring 774 runs at an average of 110.57.
He has been called every name in the book, wept in front of the world’s media, and spent the last eight years quietly rebuilding his reputation as a modern-day batting great.
He has undeniably done his time. Reminding him of 2018 won’t unnerve him; it will likely just motivate him to score more runs.
Furthermore, let’s ask ourselves how Australians would handle it if the shoe were on the other foot. If a South African player committed a similar infraction, served their time, and toured Australia years later, the Australian public and media would be unyielding.
The crowds at the MCG and SCG would be brutal, likely dragging out the taunts for a decade. Australian sporting culture is notoriously ruthless to visiting teams.
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But South Africa fans shouldn’t aim to mimic the worst traits of Aussie crowds. Instead, they should show the cricket world what true sporting maturity looks like.
The ultimate disrespect you can show a legendary batsman like Steve Smith isn’t a chorus of boos or some hackneyed lines that he has heard a million times before – no, it’s indifference. Give him the cold shoulder when he walks out.
Save the deafening roars and aggressive energy to lift the Proteas’ bowlers. Let Kagiso Rabada’s pace and Marco Jansen’s bounce do the talking.
Steve Smith’s return shouldn’t be defined by a mistake he made nearly a decade ago. Let Australia sweat, let the cricket be fierce, but let South Africa’s fans rise above the sandpaper.
The best revenge is winning on the pitch, fair and square. Steve Smith is going to be expecting for the sandpaper comments, make him wait – that will be far more unsettling than handing him the stuff that he and his psychologist have undoubtedly prepared for.
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The post The return of Steve Smith – why SA fans should ditch the sandpaper references appeared first on Cricket365.
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