5 times Steven Smith brought shame to cricket

#1 Ball tampering, Cape Town 2018

Smith and David Warner had devised plans to tamper with the ball, which Cameron Bancroft ended up doing against South Africa

The biggest scandal broke out in the third Test of the South Africa tour when Cameron Bancroft, on instructions from his captain Smith and vice-captain David Warner, was caught rubbing one side of the ball with a sandpaper on the third day of the match. Later in the day, Smith and Bancroft confessed in the press conference that it was a pre-meditated plan to alter the condition of the ball in order to obtain early reverse-swing, with Smith stating that only the “leadership group” was involved.

Massive consequences followed when the ICC first suspended him for a Test and fined him his entire match fee, letting off Bancroft with three demerit points and a 75% fine.

Cricket Australia duly stepped up to punish the players, banning Smith and Warner from all cricket for a year while Bancroft was suspended for nine months. This led to the termination of Smith and Warner's IPL contracts, with both having resigned as captains of their respective franchises.