The Best Way to Bounce Back is to Give Back

A note to young leaders.

The best way to bounce back is to give back.

Eight years ago, Steve Smith’s career and reputation were in tatters following the “Sandpapergate” ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town.

Cricket Australia had banned him from all forms of international and domestic cricket for 12 months and barred him from leadership roles for a further two years.

In the fog of the fallout, Ian Chappell voiced what many of us were thinking: “I don’t see Steve captaining Australia ever again.”

Humiliated, devastated and embarrassed – everyone expected Smith to bunker down in some remote location and ride out the storm, far from the public gaze.

But that’s not what he did.

Smith did something that shocked observers: he returned to play grade cricket for Sutherland, the suburban Sydney club where he’d started as a child.

Rather than treating this as beneath him, Smith embraced it completely. He turned up on time to all the regular training sessions, helped younger players with their technique, and played alongside weekend cricketers who held regular jobs.

Teammates reported that he showed genuine interest in their lives and never acted superior despite being one of the world’s best players.

He even helped organise club social events and fundraisers.

Rather than hide, Smith chose to serve.

No wonder then, that in the summer of 2025-2026, karma and fate would again conspire to allow Smith to captain Australia in a victorious Ashes campaign one final time.