The Australia tour of South Africa: A walk to remember

#3 Controversies after controversies

The "leadership group" of Steve Smith was the highlight of the Test series.

Unsurprisingly, the series became heated in the very first match with Warner-De Kock incident taking place right from day 3. The things did not end there for both the players as David Warner provoked Quinton De Kock after his face-saving innings on the last day and things got worse between the two players on their way to their respective pavilion.

With David Warner getting fined for the incident, the table turned towards Kagiso Rabada. The fast bowler has been known for his aggressive approach on the field and this exact approach almost spelled his own doom. The bowler got the better of Steve Smith and shouldered him while celebrating and with few demerit points to his account earlier, this incident earned him some more, resulting in a fine and a match ban (which was later removed).

With controversies flying throughout the series, what caught everyone’s eye was the Smith-Bancroft “Ball tampering” incident. With Cameron Bancroft using the sandpaper to change the condition of the ball, he came out successful in fooling the umpires when caught earlier but to his bad luck, the cameraman caught the player slipping the yellow tape down his trousers and then there was no hiding for Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft.

Steve Smith who was earlier accused of the famous “Brain-Fade” incident again caught everyone’s eye. Facing the cameras, Smith said, "The team's 'leadership group' had a plan, carried out by Cameron Bancroft, to tamper with the ball to get an advantage". He, later on, added that the coaching staff had no involvement in the matter and was unaware of this act. Right after accepting all this, much to Steve Smith’s knowledge the world changed around him. Steve Smith and David Warner were banned by their association for a year with Cameron Bancroft facing a nine-month ban.