Steve Smith returns: disgraced former captain likely to be welcomed back, says ex-skipper Steve Waugh

Banned Australian cricketer Steve Smith is likely to be welcomed back with open arms when he returns to club cricket in Sydney at the weekend, believes former captain Steve Waugh.

Smith and David Warner were banned for a year for their part in a ball-tampering scandal during a test in South Africa that engulfed the world game and prompted a review of the Australian team’s culture and drive to implement a new player code of conduct.

The pair, who were also sacked as captain and vice-captain of the side, were allowed to play Twenty20 competitions in other countries and lower level club cricket at home but are unable to appear in first-class level games until next March.

“The Australian public, they are forgiving,” Waugh told Fox Sports News on Tuesday. “He (Smith) made a mistake and he’s paid a heavy price for it.

“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.

“They obviously remember it, but they’re big enough to realise you can make a mistake and grow from that and be stronger.”

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