Ashes 2019: 'Steve Smith will be always remembered as cheat', says former England pacer Steve Harmison

Steve Smith might be scoring runs in abundance but for former England cricketer Steve Harmison, he will remain a cheat.

That's what Harmison was quoted as saying on talkSPORT. He said that despite Smith's good run with the bat, he does not think he can forgive the former Australian captain for what he and two of his teammates did at Cape Town last year in a Test match against South Africa.

File image of Steve Smith. Reuters

He said, "I don’t think you can forgive him. When you’re known as a cheat – and he is, I’m not going to sugar-coat it – that’s on your CV. You’re marked and you take it to the grave. Whatever Steve Smith does, he’ll always be remembered for what happened in South Africa."

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Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were involved in ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town during a Test match against South Africa, and eventually were banned for one year by Cricket Australia. The trio are part of Australia's Ashes squad after their ban got over.

However, for Harmison, his opinion on the trio stands firm - that they have cheated and tarnished the game.

He said, "That’s something he’s got to live with. I can’t see anyone’s opinion changing on Smith, Bancroft, or Warner – because they’ve tarnished the game."

Smith is in red hot form in Ashes 2019. He has so far scored 671 runs in six innings he has batted.