{
  "id": 7998232,
  "title": "Traumatised Smith says he was 'thrown to wolves' over 'sandpapergate'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/traumatised-smith-says-he-was-thrown-to-wolves-over-sandpapergate",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-17T09:33:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/traumatised-smith-says-thrown-wolves-093323468.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Traumatised Australian cricketer Steve Smith has spoken about the lasting impact the sandpapergate ball-tampering scandal has had on his life. The incident, which saw Smith and two teammates sent home before the final Test of a 2018 series against South Africa, left him with flashbacks and anxiety around cameras. Smith was stripped of the captaincy and banned for a year following his admission of knowledge about the ball-tampering. Despite the challenges, Smith has returned to the Australian team and has gone on to become one of the world's best batters. He remains focused on moving forward and uses past hardships as motivation for his future performances. The three-Test series against South Africa is set to begin in Durban on October 9th.",
  "summary": "Australia batter Steve Smith says he is still traumatised by the aftermath of the ball-tampering scandal in 2018 and still gets flashbacks.",
  "key_points": [
    "Steve Smith traumatized by sandpapergate scandal",
    "Flashbacks, anxiety around cameras after 2018 incident",
    "Smith returns to Australian team, world's best batter"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Business Recorder",
        "title": "Smith still haunted by 'Sandpapergate' as he prepares for South Africa Tests",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/smith-still-haunted-by-sandpapergate-as-he-prepares-for-south-africa",
        "published": "2026-09-17T08:26:44.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport",
        "title": "Traumatised Smith says he was 'thrown to wolves' over 'sandpapergate'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/traumatised-smith-says-he-was-thrown-to-wolves-over-sandpapergate-8004628",
        "published": "2026-09-17T09:31:54.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}