‘You did nothing wrong’: Faf du Plessis reveals message to Steve Smith during Sandpapergate

File Pic: Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis recalled how he approached Steve Smith during the 2018 ball-tampering controversy in Cape Town, questioning why the Australian had taken responsibility for the incident while expressing solidarity with a rival who had previously stood by him during his own ball-tampering scandal.Speaking to Cricinfo’s Cricketers on Cricketers, du Plessis said Smith’s response to the controversy reminded him of the media firestorm he faced in 2016 when he was accused of using residual sweets to change the condition of the ball during a Test against Australia in Hobart.Smith, Australia’s captain at the time, was at the center of a major controversy during the 2018 tour of South Africa after Cameron Bancroft was caught trying to alter the condition of the ball with sandpaper in a Test in Cape Town. Smith and vice-captain David Warner were also found guilty of their roles in the incident.“Steve came out at the end of the day (in Cape Town in 2018) and said, ‘I take responsibility.’ And we were like, ‘Why are you taking responsibility? You didn’t do anything wrong,'” du Plessis said.

‘We’re behind you’: Faf’s message to Smith

Du Plessis said he immediately empathized with Smith as the controversy heated up and the Australian faced intense media scrutiny. The former South African captain sent a message of support to Smith, assuring him that he understood the pressure he was going through, drawing parallels from his own experience.“And then everything exploded in terms of the media and how he was being put under pressure. I was like, right away, this is not his job. It’s the same (as my ball-tampering charge). I remember texting and saying, ‘Listen, I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Just be strong. It’s going to be hell for about a week and then it’s going to break.’ He never knew this would be the year he would live. But I’m just saying… we’re behind you. We understand that you have done nothing wrong. So if you need anything from us, we are here,” he told Cricinfo.The former South Africa captain admitted he did not foresee the severity of the punishment that would follow, with Cricket Australia eventually banning Smith and Warner for a year and removing Smith as captain. Bancroft received a nine-month ban, while the International Cricket Council handed Smith a one-Test suspension.

Smith stood by Faf during ‘Mintgate’

Du Plessis also recalled how Smith defended him during the Hobart controversy in 2016 when allegations of cheating began to spread internationally. The South African said the situation initially appeared to be relatively minor for his dressing room before increasing media attention made it a big issue.“At the time, in our dressing room, frankly, we thought nothing bad had happened. But the cameras (were) everywhere. And now it’s just embedded in this thing. All of a sudden I was in real trouble. It was going around the world, people were saying, ‘Cheating.’ It weighs on you,” he said.According to du Plessis, Smith was asked about the allegations against the South African and decided to defend him, despite the pressure surrounding the matter.“He was asked: What do you think about Faf du Plessis and Mintgate, and it’s terrible, he’s cheating. And he’s like, no, he’s not. He just shines the ball. I’ve been in a lot of teams where we shine the ball, we use different sweets. We listened to it on TV and literally everyone in our group was like, ‘Wow’ he didn’t do that. That was the choice where he went: I’ll probably choose the human thing, the right thing, versus the pressure thing. It was amazing for me see. I remember just saying that it meant a lot to the South African team and the respect we got for Steve Smith that day,” he added.Du Plessis said Smith’s willingness to speak out when he could simply criticize his opponent left a lasting impression in the South African camp.