Andrew Flintoff, former England all-rounder believes that Steve Smith is not the only one to be blamed for the sandpaper-gate incident. He thinks that the skipper took all the blame to save his side.
Not just Smith believes Flintoff
Steve Smith was suspended for a year along with the star opener David Warner and Cameron Bancroft after they were found to be involved in the sandpaper-gate during a Test match between Australia and South Africa in Cape Town. The incident that was a shocker to the whole cricket was according to Andrew Flintoff known to the entire Australia cricket team. “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,” Flintoff told Talksport.
He further opined, “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.” While Smith was banned from taking any leadership roles for two years, the whole team was not involved in the incident seems unbelievable to Flintoff.
Flintoff on tampering and more
Flintoff also explained how ball tampering is an age-old concept and the degrees have changed over time. “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, who retired from cricket after the 2009 Ashes, said that he would still leave everything to play one Test for England. “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. Still now I would swap everything I do to play one more Test match and wear that England badge at Old Trafford one more time.
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