Do we like them?

Do we like Steve Smith?

Our score: 6 out of 10. Nothing harmful found and some reported good work, but the record we could open this time was thin.

Steve Smith is one of Australia's best Test batters, and for most fans the first thing that comes up is still the 2018 Cape Town sandpaper saga. Cricket Australia found he knew about the plan and didn't stop it, and he copped a one-year ban and lost the captaincy. That's the stain, and it's a real one.

What's interesting is how he's talked about it since. In September 2026, ahead of a Test tour of South Africa, reports said he still deals with trauma and flashbacks from that time, and an anxiety around cameras. That isn't an excuse, but it suggests a bloke who hasn't brushed it off.

On the harm check, we found nothing. We searched for anything he's said or done about LGBTQ+ people, women, migrants, race or the climate, and came up empty. The only link to a cause that turned up was Australian players backing the Cricket for Climate campaign. We also found no sign of him working with anyone who pushes harm. Silence isn't a gold star, but it isn't a red flag either.

Recent news is mostly cricket. He kept playing Tests after Usman Khawaja's retirement and was added to the T20 World Cup squad in 2026, though he reportedly didn't get a game, and some former players weren't happy about that. Former England spinner Monty Panesar also publicly apologised to him in May 2026 for remarks about the 2018 saga made before the last Ashes.

So: a gifted player, one genuine mistake that cost him dearly, and no sign of the grievance-and-culture-war slide we watch for. The file is thinner than we'd like, which is why this sits in the middle of the high end rather than at the top.