Although hardly singing a solo, I vocally condemned Steve Smith for his role in the ball-tampering abomination in Cape Town 15 months ago.
Indeed, in my article The Costs Not Counted, I used my best endeavours to articulate what I felt Smith and his nefarious comrades had taken from me and my fellow cricket tragics.
My pride in the national team was at its lowest and most insipid ebb.
Yet, seven minutes after lunch on the fourth day of the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, Steve Smith stepped confidently down the pitch and caressed a Stuart Broad out-swinger to the deep cover boundary to register his second century of the match.
And sitting at home, I raised my hands joyously above my head and clapped in raucous support for the man I had denounced.
(Photo by Visionhaus)
Does this make me a hypocrite?
I think not.
Firstly – and not for nothing – the man has served his sentence. There are some who believe the 12-month ban was too long. Others would have banned the trio for life. I have consistently maintained that sitting out one Australian summer was about right.
Smith has done his time. Not always with the dignity which I would have liked to see, but he has served the penalty Cricket Australia imposed.
Secondly – and, for me, more importantly – there is no inconsistency in rebuking Smith for his role in the grating sandpaper scandal and celebrating his remarkable resilience whilst rejoicing in one of the truly great Test match triumphs.
I simply can not fathom what brand of tenacity must be harnessed to take a man from the abject humiliation which comes from being publicly branded a cheat to not just returning to the Test arena but dominating in such emphatic fashion.
Smith’s twin tons at Edgbaston were not merely a routine return to normal service. He has taken his already exceptional performance to a new and thrilling level.
Smith’s unique talent is as obvious as the eccentricity of his nervous twitches. We will never see another like him.
Ultimately, no man is just one thing.
Whilst I will neither forget nor forgive Smith for his want of moral fortitude in South Africa, I rejoice in his ferocious determination to return to Test match cricket and celebrate him as the greatest batsman of my lifetime.
Peter Hunt
Roar Guru
Hi Pierro, I totally agree that Smith is unlikely to ever ask me - or anybody else for that matter - whether everything's okay now. I was just using that as a hypothetical to answer James' point. Importantly, I don't agree with you about Smith's role in the cheating episode. Based on the official version, Warner instigated and implemented the plan, not Smith. But Smith knew about what they planned to do before the event and did he not stop it from happening, even though he, as team Captain, had both the moral authority and the actual authority to do so. Instead he looked the other way. To my mind, that makes him equally responsible as Warner.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Thats ridiculous Peter on Smith. For a start he'd never say that. Secondly your blaming him for sand paper gate in your statement when as per the charge sheet he had no intention to use sandpaper to cheat nor did he make up the plan or implement it. All is his negligence is based around how he handled the situation with a statement after it without little guidance from cricket australia it seems , lehmann must take some blame for the reaction to it all letting his captain make the statements he made . Warners idiocy is the real culprit here and he got off lightly compared to smith . The ban was hugely excessive for smith . You don't need to forgive a guy when he didn't plan to use sandpaper or implement it and you can certainly forget a poor reaction where he tried to protect his players. Atherton and Du Plesssis were captains that actually planned and used foreign materials to ball tamper. No media frenzy or national outrage there. Aussies need to get off their judgmental high horse for me on smiths negligent poor post incident reaction
Pierro
Roar Rookie
As long as the pubic mistake is about him reacting negligently to a shocking situation rather than planning and implementing it. Smith had no intention to cheat and implement use of sandpaper and that is very different to me. His intention to protect players without proper CA management all be it with the wrong call in a public statement as a reaction is another thing and he was publicly grilled over by the media wanting to sell stories praying on the australian nanny state pitch and fork mentality. Id have him as captain tomorrow. I feel empathy for him and just don't think he handled an awful situation that well. He loves the game and his country and its not in his DNA to cheat. Forgiven and forgotten now compared to the shame other countries captains should have where they planned to use foreign objects themselves and got off scott free where their cricket boards got them off or covered it up. Honestly the australian reaction is primal and speculative and goes beyond the charge sheet facts for me . Its warner who has really got out of this situation ridiculously as his captain took the hit and took full responsibility for that reprobate
Peter Hunt
Roar Guru
Great post, James. I totally agree with all of it!
JamesH
Roar Guru
Interesting. Perhaps it's a case of partial forgiveness. In this case, you've forgiven Smith himself but you can't forgive his actual conduct in SA. I love that you've kicked off such a philosophical debate! Your point below about the bubble mentality is incredibly relevant here. I suspect that Smith's failings as captain were a symptom of that. He became so insulated from the real world that he couldn't step back and look at the big picture. If CA wants the culture to keep improving then I'd love to see them encouraging players to spend more time in and helping the community. And I don't mean running cricket camps; I mean something that connects them to the real world. Doorknock for Red Cross. Dress up and join in with the Clown Doctors. There's nothing like chatting to a sick kid to give you a bit of perspective regarding the importance of winning a cricket match.
Peter Hunt
Roar Guru
Hi James, your thoughts have really got me thinking. Maybe I have forgiven Smith. If you scroll down to my post at 8.54 this morning (6/8), I've expanded further on my thinking. Cheers
Peter Hunt
Roar Guru
*without the fall*
Peter Hunt
Roar Guru
I have to agree with that! And if you read Malcom Knox in the SMH today (6/8) you will see just how malevolent the Edgbaston crowd has been.
Peter Hunt
Roar Guru
The Ethics Centre report suggest that CA management did more than merely condone player behaviour; they set the culture which almost demanded that behaviour.
Peter Hunt
Roar Guru
Thanks Loosey. So you accuse me of hyperbole whilst questioning whether I am bipolar. You've gotta love irony! If you look at my post at 8.54am today, you'll see that I've expressed some further thoughts on the subject of forgiveness. I hope you'll read them.
Loosey
Roar Rookie
Sanctimonious, Peter. Even Jesus forgave. Forgive, of bloody course! Forget, not so quickly. ‘Disgust’ - really? You would rightly be accused of being a hypocritical because of the level of hyperbole with which you condemned Smith. Is that what concerns you? You might be bipolar.
Spanner
Roar Rookie
A fish rots from the head Pete - our on field behaviour had been disgraceful for a long time and these "good ole boys" condoned it
Peter Hunt
Roar Guru
Thanks for your comments Margaret. Others in this thread have challenged me on that too and I spent some time this morning pondering what it means to forgive...or not forgive. I am overjoyed for Steve Smith's success and I am in awe of his inner strength. When I think of the man walking through the airport in South Africa whilst being heckled, not to mention that heart-breaking press conference when he arrived in Australia... How does a person come back from that? He was humiliated in public and lambasted by the community to which he has devoted his (young) life. And he is reminded of his disgrace every time he walks onto the field with people jeering him and waving sandpaper in the air. I have the greatest admiration for a man who can rise from that lowest of low points to not only return to the Test match arena but triumph in such emphatic fashion. I said in my article that I cheered raucously when he posted his second century for the match. I ALSO WIPED AWAY A TEAR. So, let me make it clear that I'm a Steve Smith fan. I'm in his corner. I just can't let him off the hook for his role in an Australian team blatantly cheating. Does that mean I can't forgive? Or do the emotions I have described demonstrate that I have forgiven him? I'm not sure. What I am sure about is that - despite my continuing condemnation of his failure to stand up and say "NO" - I have the deepest admiration for the character Smith has demonstrated in his come-back and...of course...for being the most effective batsman I have ever seen.
Margaret Lindley
Guest
Em: Oh Peter. Have you never done anything which required forgiveness? To deny forgiveness to those who have acknowledged wrongdoing and asked to be forgiven, is rather cruel - and perhaps arrogant. Personally, I find a public declaration that someone will never be forgiven rather worse than the sins of Steve Smith. But forgivable. I understand - I was angry too.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
He looks very focused.
Peter Hunt
Roar Guru
Thanks Mika. Whilst my article took a bit of cynical turn, I really want to rejoice in Smith's brilliant performance. He really is a freakish talent and his appetite for scoring runs is just insatiable.
Peter Hunt
Roar Guru
Thanks Nuisance! It's an interesting comparison! I was in bed, snoring, each time Smith was dismissed. Did the English crowd acknowledge Smith's accomplishment with generous and heartfelt applause, or was there more jeering?
Peter Hunt
Roar Guru
You know what, Jeff? I'd completely overlooked the fact that Smith hasn't had any first class cricket since that infamous test in Cape Town! So he has played two classic test knocks on the back of what? Grade cricket in Sydney, a hodge-podge of T20 franchises and the World Cup? That takes the man beyond freak status!
JamesH
Roar Guru
Fair enough. I’m just not sure that the idea of supporting someone is consistent with the idea that you haven’t forgiven them. In my mind there has to be a degree of forgiveness in able to take that step of cheering someone on.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
He is that indeed and in spades Peter. It has literally been 80 years since we've seen anything like him (since Bradman) and may well be another 40+ years until we see the same. So is actually a once in a lifetime. I like the (very) limited parallels of Smith and Bradman coming back into the Test arena after enforced breaks. How DOES a batsman come out and score twin Test centuries (in England mind you - and at Edgbaston for good measure) - let alone after no FC for 15 months.... I'm backing Smudge for 2 to 4 wickets at some point after lunch...