Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff believes the entire Australian team was at fault in the ball-tampering incident. Flintoff believes Steve Smith was scapegoated for the incident. The Englishman says Smith ‘took the entire blame’ to save the Australian cricket team image.

Steve Smith

The Australian cricket team was playing a Test match against South Africa in Cape Town in 2018 when the Sandpaper incident happened which shook the cricketing world.

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“I can’t believe that the whole team isn’t in on it. As a bowler, if someone gives me a ball that’s been tampered with, I know initially. One of the things that Steve Smith did is take the blame for everyone else. Things like ball-tampering have gone on for a long, long time and I think it’s just the degrees where you take it. We were accused of putting sweets on the ball. People put suncream on it, tried everything they can,” Flintoff said.

Steve Smith was banned from international cricket for a year alongside David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. The then Aussie captain was also suspended from taking any leadership roles for a period of 2 years. The England legend said it is difficult to believe that others in the team did not have a clue about what was going on.

“Sandpaper is wrong, but it’s stupid more than anything. But I can’t believe that everyone in the team wasn’t involved in some way or another,” Flintoff said.

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Retiring from Test cricket in 2009, The English all-rounder says he would give up everything to play one more Test for his country.

“It’s getting easier as I’m 42 and don’t think I should be playing cricket now, but when I finished at 31, I couldn’t go anywhere near it. I just wanted to be a cricketer. I would swap everything I do to play one more Test match and wear that England badge at Old Trafford one more time. It’s only when it’s finished that you think I should have cherished it more. When it’s gone it’s so hard.”