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Steve Smith in tears as he apologises for 'failure of leadership' following Australian cricket cheating scandal
A tearful Steve Smith has apologised for 'a serious error of judgment' after being caught up in the ball tampering scandal which has rocked Australian cricket.
The 28-year-old, who stood down as captain after admitting to cheating during the Third Test against South Africa in Cape Town, was handed a 12-month ban by Cricket Australia for his part and will not return to a leadership role for at least two years.
"I take full responsibility," Smith said as he confronted the media for the first time on Thursday.
"It was a serious error of judgment, a failure of leadership, of my leadership.
"I will do everything I can to make up for my mistake. I hope good can come of this, it can be a lesson to others. And I hope it can be a force for change.
"I know I'll regret this for the rest of my life, I'm absolutely gutted. I hope in time I can win back respect.
"Cricket is the greatest game in the world, in my life, and I hope it can be again. I'm sorry and I'm absolutely devastated."
Smith, who was consoled by his father during the press conference at Sydney Airport, has also been barred from playing in this year’s IPL, while the batsman has been dumped from sponsorship deals with Commonwealth Bank and breakfast cereal maker Sanitarium Australia.
Smith’s first opportunity to represent his country again will be in next year’s World Cup in England, and he will likely return to Test cricket in the Ashes series that follows.
Asked what message he would send to children who follow the game and cherish him as the poster boy of Australian cricket, he said: "I'll say two things... three things. Firstly, I'm deeply sorry, I love the game of cricket, I love entertaining young kids, I love kids wanting to play the great game of cricket that I love.
"The two other things is: any time you think about making a questionable decision, think about who you're affecting. You're affecting your parents and to see the way my old man's been... it hurts."
Losing his focus as he broke down, Smith forgot the third point he intended to make, adding: "I can't remember what else."
Concluding his press conference, he said: "I just want to say I'm sorry for the pain that I guess I've brought to Australia and the fans and the public. It's devastating and I'm truly sorry."
Tim Paine has officially been appointed captain of the Test team ahead of the Fourth Test against South Africa, which starts on Friday.
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/cr...ip-following-australian-cricket-a3801786.html
A tearful Steve Smith has apologised for 'a serious error of judgment' after being caught up in the ball tampering scandal which has rocked Australian cricket.
The 28-year-old, who stood down as captain after admitting to cheating during the Third Test against South Africa in Cape Town, was handed a 12-month ban by Cricket Australia for his part and will not return to a leadership role for at least two years.
"I take full responsibility," Smith said as he confronted the media for the first time on Thursday.
"It was a serious error of judgment, a failure of leadership, of my leadership.
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"I will do everything I can to make up for my mistake. I hope good can come of this, it can be a lesson to others. And I hope it can be a force for change.
"I know I'll regret this for the rest of my life, I'm absolutely gutted. I hope in time I can win back respect.
"Cricket is the greatest game in the world, in my life, and I hope it can be again. I'm sorry and I'm absolutely devastated."
Smith, who was consoled by his father during the press conference at Sydney Airport, has also been barred from playing in this year’s IPL, while the batsman has been dumped from sponsorship deals with Commonwealth Bank and breakfast cereal maker Sanitarium Australia.
Smith’s first opportunity to represent his country again will be in next year’s World Cup in England, and he will likely return to Test cricket in the Ashes series that follows.
Asked what message he would send to children who follow the game and cherish him as the poster boy of Australian cricket, he said: "I'll say two things... three things. Firstly, I'm deeply sorry, I love the game of cricket, I love entertaining young kids, I love kids wanting to play the great game of cricket that I love.
"The two other things is: any time you think about making a questionable decision, think about who you're affecting. You're affecting your parents and to see the way my old man's been... it hurts."
Losing his focus as he broke down, Smith forgot the third point he intended to make, adding: "I can't remember what else."
Concluding his press conference, he said: "I just want to say I'm sorry for the pain that I guess I've brought to Australia and the fans and the public. It's devastating and I'm truly sorry."
Tim Paine has officially been appointed captain of the Test team ahead of the Fourth Test against South Africa, which starts on Friday.
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/cr...ip-following-australian-cricket-a3801786.html
