Sky Views: Steve Smith among greatest but redemption some way off

That is virtually indisputable after his second, majestic hundred of this first Ashes match.
Almost singlehandedly, he has propelled Australia to the brink of victory from a lacklustre start in Birmingham and treated the crowd, fans from both countries, to an exhibition in batting.
But framing his performance here, however peerless, as redemption for a blatant act of cheating 18 months ago is confused and reductive.

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As his name was announced over the tannoy on the opening morning at Edgbaston, Smith was booed, as were David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, the two other men implicated in the ball-tampering scandal.

The trio admitted to their roles in the plot, which involved rubbing sandpaper on the ball during a Test match in South Africa last year, to rough it up and affect the swing in flight.
All of them were charged with bringing the game into disrepute, suspended, and sent home.
Smith, who had been captain, admitted to knowing about the plot but failing to take steps to prevent it.
He was banned from all international cricket and domestic cricket in Australia for 12 months.

Image: Smith was in tears after admitting his role in the ball-tampering plot last year

Suitably disgraced, at a press conference at Sydney Airport he gave the full, tearful mea culpa.
"I know I will regret this for the rest of my life," he said. "I'm absolutely gutted. I hope in time I can earn back respect and forgiveness."
You very rarely get such a frank admission from cheats, particularly in sport.
Because of that and the time on the sidelines he has served, the 30-year-old deserves the chance to thrill us all by playing the sport he loves again.
And in his return to Test cricket, he did just that, with a first-innings of 144.

"The ultimate tale of redemption", The Australian - the country's highest circulation newspaper - called it.
The Advertiser in Adelaide said it was the comeback of the century.
From Jeers to Cheers, The Age proclaimed.
Coverage in British newspapers has also struck a sympathetic tone.

He has earned this chance to repair his reputation but it shouldn’t be seen as dependent on his batting average

Martha Kelner, sports correspondent

The boos from Edgbaston's Hollies stand persisted, even some as Smith notched a bewitching 142 from 207 balls, leaving England needing to bat all day today even to get a draw.
It seemed boorish and a little pointless giving him grief in the face of one of the finest Test match performances of a generation.
But the facts of Smith's deceit in South Africa remained unchanged from three days previously.
This tour so far has been good PR for Smith, because with every magic act he performs with the bat, his role in the ball-tampering scandal is relegated further down his career roll-call.
He has earned this chance to repair his reputation but it shouldn't be seen as dependent on his batting average.
He has no more earned redemption here by scoring two centuries as if he'd twice been out for a duck.

Image: Ben Stokes, who was involved in a Bristol bar fight, admitted he did not achieve redemption by winning the World Cup

Just as Ben Stokes - by his own admission - did not earn redemption for getting involved in a Bristol street brawl by helping England win the World Cup last month.
The two cases are different.
Justin Gatlin's offence was admittedly far graver, but when the American came back from an eight-year drugs ban to dominate the sprinting world, you didn't see many people holding his story up as a redemption fairytale.
Smith says he in unbothered by the boos and he's certainly silenced those who doubted he would have the mental strength to return to his best over the past week.
He has shown he is as good, perhaps even a better batsman than before.
But true redemption for the Australian lies in a career untainted by any further scandal and that takes more time.