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Steven Smith’s feats with the bat and successes as captain saw him make many fans, but all that was turned upside down once he admitted his part in the ball-tampering saga that plagued the third Test against South Africa.
Even the Prime Minister said Smith and the leadership group had let down the country, and the trio of Warner, Smith and Cameron Bancroft were suspended.
Smith now has to live his life having had the Aussie captaincy taken away from him when he was at the peak of his career, and looking to defend the Ashes in the 2019 series in the UK – a victory which would have placed him among the game’s elite skippers for years to come.
Instead, Smith has had to cope with the disappointment of fans, being lambasted by the media and former players, and most importantly, feeling he let down his family, fiance and coaches.
It’s known he reads the news and debates about cricket whenever possible, which means all this has taken a toll.
And when he next turns out in Australian colours, Smith will notice the same fans, opposite players and even teammates not having the same respect for him.
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His comeback will be in the name of correcting all he’s done wrong, meaning his every action will be carefully observed, and a slight deviation from proper moral conduct will see him again in the news for all the wrong reasons.
Smith’s relentless drive, passion, and win-at-all-costs mentality made him the No.1 Test batsman in the world, but also saw him go to unethical lengths to salvage a Test match.
The 29-year-old will in all likelihood tone this attitude down, which means his batting will likely suffer as a result.
Cricket is more about the mental side than technique. The psychological exhaustion Smith has endured will take the sheen of the batsman we knew before – and we’ve already seen him looking a shadow of himself in the Canadaian T20 matches.
Steve Smith will be back, but sadly he won’t be the best batsman of his era again.
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