Steve Smith and the desperation to win

Steven Smith is, without a doubt, a wonderful cricketer. He has a penchant to score big and he loves being competitive on the field. The Australian captain has come of age in the last few years.

He is ever so hungry for runs, often winning games single-handedly for Australia.

The right-handed batsman started his career as a leg-spinner who could bat. From there on, he has grown leaps and bounds to become one of the best test batsmen in the world.

Earmarked as a future skipper at an early age, Smith's grit and determination easily made him the top contender for captaincy, post the Michael Clarke-era.

The Sydney-born cricketer didn't let the selectors down with his captaincy and has courageously led the Australian team through the tough transition period.

It is, however, his desperation to win games and craving for success at all costs that has put him in a spot of bother at times, putting himself, and thereby his side in a bad light.

Here is a list of controversies that have shadowed the Aussie captain's career.

#3 Catch or no catch

Steve Smith was miffed with umpire's decision

The match in question is the 3rd game of the 5-match ODI series between hosts Australia and England at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 21, 2018, and it turned out to be a highly controversial one.

England had set a daunting target of 303 for Australia but the hosts were up to the task with skipper Steven Smith leading from the front playing comfortably out in the middle.

However, on the final ball of the 34th over bowled by Mark Wood, Smith edged the ball to England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler who took an extremely low one-handed catch.

Smith was not convinced though and decided not to walk. The decision was then referred to third umpire Kumar Dharmasena and only after a number of replays was Smith adjudged out caught behind.

The Australians went on to lose the game by 16 runs. In a press conference later on, a clearly miffed Smith called for a change in the stance on controversial decisions.

Incidentally, in the same match, Smith was accused of using lip balm over the ball to generate reverse swing.

#2 Brain fade

The DRS saga took center stage in the Test series between India and Australia

Steve Smith's team landed in India on the back of some serious drubbings in their previous outings in the sub-continent. The Aussies had been humbled by India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in the preceding 4 years.

However, the team was eager to set the record straight. As it turned out, the series was a closely-fought one. However, it was the brain fade incident involving the Australian skipper that took center stage.

In the second Test of the four-match series, Steve Smith was adjudged LBW, but he was not convinced. Surprisingly, in an attempt to get the coach's view to check whether it was out or not, his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli caught him during the act and the umpires sent Smith on his way.

In the days to follow, a lot was said about Smith, with Kohli being highly critical of his opposite number. Many ex-cricketers also slammed Smith's act.

Later on. Smith went on to apologize about the whole incident and called it a 'Brain fade' on his part.

#1 Sandpaper Gate

The captain is in real trouble

In the latest controversy, Australian opener Cameron Bancroft was seen rubbing a yellow object over the ball and his act was caught in the camera.

Although the umpires played it down after having a chat with Smith and Bancroft, in a press conference at the end of the third day's play, the Australian captain and Bancroft went on to accept that the act was deliberate on their part.

The revelation has come as a shocker for Australia. The series against South Africa has already had its fair share of controversies and the things are only getting worse.

Ball tampering is a big crime in cricket and Steve Smith faces some serious repercussions. Over the period, Smith's desperation to win games has gone overboard and given way to some embarrassing incidents.

In the wake of the latest controversy, Australian cricket faces its darkest hour.