Smith OK with mix of justice

STEVE Smith had no complaints about world cricket’s fickle justice system after learning a former teammate received a four-match suspension for ball tampering.

West Indies batsman Nicholas Pooran was found guilty of using his fingernail to change the condition of the ball after the third 50-over game against Afghanistan in Lucknow, India, last week.

He has been banned for four Twenty20 internationals, a far cry from the year-long sentence Smith received following the ball-tampering affair that happened on his watch in Cape Town. That involved the more serious offence of using sandpaper.

“Everyone is different, every board is different, and the way they deal with certain issues,’’ Smith said.

“For me, I copped it on the chin. It is what it is. I know Nicholas, I’ve played a bit of cricket with him, and he’s a talented player and someone with a bright future.

“I think he’ll learn from his mistake and move past it. I don’t feel hard done by. It was a long time ago now. I’ve moved past it and I’m focusing on the present. I played with him in the Caribbean league at Barbados. I think he’s going to be an exceptional player in one-day cricket.’’ Smith will play his first Test in Australia since the ball-tampering affair feeling more in control of his instincts.

“I’m able to, I think, catch my mind, where that’s going, and the decisions I’m making are a lot more clear with what I’m trying to do,” he said.

“Every decision you make has got an outcome, good, bad and ugly, whatever. I’m able to think of how it’s going to look before I make that decision a lot of the time.

“Of course, I’ll still make mistakes, I’m a human being, we all do. But being able to catch yourself and the way you’re thinking is something I’ve learnt and something I’ll continue to work on and continue and get better at.’’