Steve Smith slams Australian culture: Banned Australian captain has lashed out at Australia’s ‘win-at-all-cost’ culture.
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During the second Test of South Africa’s tour of Australia in 2016 at Hobart, South Africa had defeated Australia by an innings and 80 runs to gain an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Having lost a series at home didn’t seem to go well with James Sutherland and Pat Howard, the then vital named involved in Cricket Australia. In a recent interview with former Australia wicket-keeper batsman Adam Gilchrist for Cricket 360, banned Australia cricketer Steve Smith has disclosed that the duo had entered the Australian dressing room, lashing out at the players.
“I remember James Sutherland and Pat Howard coming into the rooms there and saying ‘we don’t pay you to play, we pay you to win’,” Smith was quoted as saying to Gilchrist initially.
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Smith, who has been banned for a year for his role in the Sandpaper gate at Cape Town earlier this year, further said that he was left disappointed after the incident. “For me that was a little bit disappointing, we don’t go out there to try lose games of cricket, we go out there to try and win and play the best way we can,” he said.
Smith also talked about the months gone by, citing them as a ‘dark’ period of his life. “I’ve had ups and downs throughout the nine months. Initially the first week or so after everything went down in South Africa that was really tough. I was in a pretty dark space.
“I was pretty much curled up in a ball and in tears for a lot of it. I was struggling mentally and not doing real well,” he added.
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