It is two years after the infamous Sandpaper gate incident in South Africa, that Australia returns to tour the Rainbow nation for a limited-overs series. It was expected that Steve Smith and David Warner, the two main figures from the awful incident will have to cope with major criticism directed towards them upon their return.
And it was no different during the first T20I at Johannesburg when the duo was booed by the crowd during the match. However, it didn’t bother them, Smith in particular, as he scored a crucial 32-ball 45 to help his team post a huge total on the board. In response, South Africa crumbled against a superior bowling performance and were bowled out for a paltry score of 89. Smith who was the chief architect during Australia’s innings was booed while batting.
Smith hits a dead ball for a boundary, gets booed in return
The incident occurred during the third over of the Australian innings with Dale Steyn steaming in to bowl his second over of the day. As Steyn ran in, the ball slipped out of his hands even before he could get to his delivery stride. Seeing it is an opportunity, Smith walked down the pitch and smacked it in front of the sightscreen for a boundary.
However, the delivery was straight away signaled as a ‘dead ball’ by the umpire as it bounced twice before the batsman could play the shot. Steve Smith, who was batting well, questioned the umpire on his decision to call it a dead ball.
Here’s the clip of the incident:
https://twitter.com/iemSRKian/status/1230942337892855808
