Steve Smith Took Blame Unfairly, Recalls Faf du Plessis

New Delhi, October 24: Faf du Plessis has looked back at the 2018 ball-tampering controversy, offering a personal perspective on Steve Smith's decision to take the blame after the Cape Town Test.

The former South Africa captain believes Smith should not have been the one to accept responsibility, given that he had not done anything wrong.

"When Steve faced the press and took responsibility after the Cape Town incident, I was genuinely surprised," du Plessis said. "I asked him why he was doing that, since he had not done anything wrong. The pressure from the media was intense, and everything came to light all at once. It was exactly what I had gone through."

Du Plessis said he tried to offer support during that tough period. "I messaged him to say I was sorry he was going through this. I told him to stay strong, because it would feel like hell for a week before things got better. We had no idea it would take him a year to recover. We let him know we were on his side."

The consequences for Smith were significant. He lost the Australian captaincy and received a one-year ban from Cricket Australia. David Warner, the vice-captain, and Cameron Bancroft were also banned. Bancroft was the player who used sandpaper on the ball.

Du Plessis also talked about his own 'Mintgate' controversy from the 2016 Hobart Test. He was accused of using a mint to shine the ball and was called a 'cheat'.

"In our dressing room, we did not think anything terrible had happened," he said. "But cameras were everywhere, and it spread across the world. People were saying we were cheating, and that puts a huge weight on you."

Du Plessis said he is still grateful to Smith. At a time when Australia were trailing 0-2 in Adelaide, Smith could have criticised him during a press conference but did not. When asked about du Plessis and the Mintgate row, Smith said he was not cheating and was merely shining the ball, noting that many teams use different mints.

"We were watching it on TV," du Plessis said. "Instead of adding pressure, he chose to act with decency. The respect the South African team developed for Steve Smith that day was remarkable."

The 2018 Cape Town Test, during which the sandpaper controversy unfolded, saw du Plessis captain South Africa and Smith captain Australia. South Africa won that match by 322 runs.