{
  "id": 7915321,
  "title": "Australia's Smith still has flashbacks to aftermath of ball-tampering scandal",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/australias-smith-still-has-flashbacks-to-aftermath-of-ball-tampering",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-17T01:14:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Channel News Asia",
    "slug": "channel-news-asia",
    "url": "https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sport/australias-smith-still-has-flashbacks-aftermath-ball-tampering-scandal-6390621"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Australia cricket captain Steve Smith has revealed that he still experiences flashbacks from the aftermath of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. The incident, in which Smith and his team allegedly tampered with the ball using sandpaper during a test match against South Africa in Cape Town, led to Smith's sacking as captain and a one-year ban from the sport by Cricket Australia. Smith spoke to Sydney's Daily Telegraph about his experiences, saying he felt \"like I was thrown to the wolves\" both when he left South Africa and upon his return to Sydney, where he broke down in tears during a press conference. The former captain also addressed the traumatic nature of the press conference, stating that the sound of camera shutters still triggers memories of the event.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Steve Smith still experiences flashbacks from 2018 ball-tampering scandal.",
    "Former captain felt \"thrown to the wolves\" during South Africa and Sydney aftermath.",
    "Press conference sound triggers memories for Smith."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The lingering psychological impact of the scandal on Smith highlights the lasting personal costs of intense media scrutiny and severe professional repercussions for him and others involved.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}