Steve Smith admits Sandpapergate flashbacks as Pat Cummins braces for 'hostility' on South Africa Test tour

'I still have flashbacks': Steve Smith's Sandpapergate scars as Australia prepare to return to South Africa

Nearly eight years after the scandal that shook Australian cricket to its core, the emotional scars are still raw. Steve Smith has admitted he "still has flashbacks" to the 2018 Sandpapergate ball-tampering affair as Australia prepare for their first Test tour of South Africa since the episode.

Smith, now the ICC's No. 2-ranked Test batter, was stripped of the captaincy and banned for 12 months in the fallout from Cape Town, and the memories of that infamous week have clearly not faded.

His captain Pat Cummins is under no illusions about the reception that awaits, warning that Australia could face "hostility" on their first Test tour of South Africa since Sandpaper Gate.

Smith has also raised doubts about how much longer he will keep playing, conceding that he cannot be sure he will still be around for the 2027 Ashes in England.

"I don't even know if I'll be there," Smith said when asked about the 2027 Ashes.

Between the flashbacks, the looming hostility and his own uncertain horizon, the tour of South Africa promises to be one of the most emotionally charged assignments of Australia's year.