Sydney, Mar 29 :An emotional Steve Smith broke down repeatedly as he took full responsibility for the ball-tampering scandal, saying he is simply gutted right now and would regret the incident for the rest of his life.
“To all of my teammates, to fans of cricket all over the world and to all Australians who are disappointed and angry. I’m sorry,” a tearful Smith said in a five-minute press conference after being sent home in disgrace from South Africa.
“I take full responsibility … There was a failure of leadership, of my leadership. I’ll do everything I can to make up for my mistake and the damage it’s caused.
“I don’t blame anyone. I’m the captain of the Australian team. It’s on my watch and I take responsibility for what happened last Saturday,” he said referring to the incident during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.
Smith and vice-captain David Warner were slapped with one-year bans for plotting the episode in which Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera pulling out sand paper to scruff up the ball.
Warner apologizes for ‘damaging’ cricket
Sydney: Breaking his silence on the ball tampering scandal, disgraced Australian opener David Warner on Friday apologized for “the distress he has caused the sport and its fans”.
“To cricket fans in Australia and all over the world, I am currently on my way to Sydney. Mistakes have been made which have damaged cricket,” Warner, 31, said on Twitter.
“I apologize for my part and take responsibility for it. I understand the distress this has caused to the sport and its fans. It’s a stain on the game we all love and I have loved since I was a boy.
“I need to take a deep breath and spend time with my family, friends and trusted advisors. You will hear from me in a few days,” he added.
Bancroft sorry for sticky tape lie
Sydney: Cameron Bancroft admits he will regret his choice to tamper with the ball in Cape Town for the rest of his life, but has not yet decided whether he will contest the nine-month ban handed to him by Cricket Australia.
Arriving at home in Perth, Bancroft spoke for the first time since the press conference in which he and the Australian captain Steven Smith misled the public about the nature of the ball-tampering offence, claiming he had used adhesive tape instead of the sandpaper he later admitted to using, after being instructed as to how to do so by the vice-captain David Warner
“Yes, I lied. I lied about the sandpaper and I panicked. I panicked in that situation and I’m very sorry,” he said. “I love the game of cricket and playing for my nation and my state, there is no greater pride for me. I am extremely disappointed and regret my actions. I am sorry to the people who have looked up to me around the world, especially the kids.
“I will focus on my actions and my conduct going forward. Not a second has gone by where I haven’t wanted to turn back time. I will regret this for the rest of my life. I just want to show how sorry I am, and at the end of the day, they are my actions that I am accountable for, and they don’t reflect on my values and what I have grown up to be. It is something I am very ashamed of and so sorry for.”
