Steven Smith made a mistake and he’s paid heavy price for it, says Steve Waugh

The charged players had used yellow sandpaper from the team kit bag to rough up the ball and to get it to reverse swing during a Test match in South Africa earlier this year. The act was performed on the third day of the Cape Town Test and that forced Cricket Australia to ban the duo were banned from playing International and domestic cricket for one year, while the man trusted to be carried on the act on the field, Cameron Bancroft was subjected to a ban of nine months.

Steve Waugh feels that Smith has received due punishment for his act. As per him, Australia Cricket will require Smith back as he is an integral part of the team. Waugh also feels that Smith will receive a warm welcome once he returns to the team, although he said that Warner may have to face tougher conditions.

“The Australian public, they are forgiving. He (Smith) made a mistake and he’s paid a heavy price for it. We need him back in Australian cricket. You can’t lose someone of his quality overnight and expect to replace it and he’s still only relatively young,” Waugh told Fox Sports Australia.“But if he gets back out there and plays with the same enthusiasm and passion, he loves playing cricket, he loves scoring runs, he wants to get back playing for Australia, I think Australians will move past what happened before,” he added.

However, Waugh feels that Warner will have to endure more resistance in order to earn forgiveness. Australia Cricket had accused him of strategizing the whole act of using a sandpaper to alter the ball and asking Bancroft to continue it. Despite his disgraceful act, Waugh hoped that they would be provided with an opportunity to rectify their acts.

“I hope so, you have to give guys an opportunity to redeem themselves. They’ve apologised and paid a heavy price. It’s going to be a challenge for all of them to come back, it’s not going to be as easy as people think,” he said.“You’re out for 12 months, the game does move on, you lose that aura of invincibility a little bit, you become a bit more fragile, a bit of self-doubt creeps in,” he added.