DISGRACED Steve Smith broke down in tears as he apologised for the ball-tampering scandal that has rocked cricket.
The ex-Australia cricket captain, banned for a year, said he will “regret for the rest of my life” the decision to cheat against South Africa – as tearful coach Darren Lehmann quit despite being cleared of blame and former vice-captain David Warner apologised for his actions before arriving with his wife and kids at Sydney airport.
Blubbering Smith, who struggled to speak when overcome with emotion, apologised to his mum and dad Peter – who stood behind him with his hand on his shoulder – as well as the nation as a whole.
He said: “I take full responsibility, it’s a serious error in judgement.
“A failure in leadership, in my leadership.
“I’ll regret this for the rest of my life. I’m absolutely devastated.
“If any good can come of this, if there can be a lesson to others then I hope I can be a force for change. I’m absolutely gutted.
“I hope in time I can earn back respect and forgiveness.
JOHN ETHERIDGE Lehmann should have been sacked even if he had nothing to do with tampering
“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.
“It hurts. I’m deeply sorry. I love the game of cricket. I love entertaining young kids. I just want to say sorry for the pain I’ve brought Australia, to the fans and the public.
SunSport's John Etheridge on Steve Smith's torment
CRICKET correspondent John Etheridge explains why Steve Smith’s tear-filled apology can be the first step on the road to redemption.
YOU would need a heart of stone not to feel some sympathy for Steve Smith, in tears and with his father’s consoling hand on his shoulder.
His raw, emotional media conference at Sydney airport should be the first step on the road to redemption and regaining some of the affection and respect of the Aussie public.
This, remember, is a man who less than three months ago captained Australia to a 4-0 Ashes triumph and was being hailed the best batsman since Don Bradman.
What a fall from grace.
Four hours later and almost 7,000 miles away in Johannesburg, Darren Lehmann announced his resignation as coach.
That was the correct decision – how can the man who oversaw the boorish, bullying dressing-room culture be the person to repair it?
Cameron Bancroft delivered similar sentiments to Smith about being sorry and regretting his actions for the rest of his life. Although able to keep his emotions more under control, Bancroft actually went farther than Smith by admitting he had lied.
For his part, David Warner might have been advised to perform a public mea culpa rather than a tweet. But there might be more to come from him.
Smith did not say why he and the Australians chose to use sandpaper to tamper with the ball on day three of the Third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.
He probably wasn’t dodging the question, more likely that he was in such distress that his brain was not functioning properly. His appearance was all about saying sorry rather than specifics.
But the fact remains that last Saturday he did nothing to step his team illegally tampering with the ball. A one-year ban is proportionate.
“Every team tampers with the ball,” people say. Well, everyone breaks the speed limit, too.
So let’s say throwing the ball into the wicketkeeper on the bounce is driving at 72mph on the M1, using Murray Mints to sweeten the saliva is 82mph and putting lip salve on the ball is 88mph.
Cynically pre-planning to scrub the ball with sandpaper and co-opting the junior player to perform the act and then lying about it is going at 120mph without insurance and a licence. In a stolen vehicle.
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“Anytime you think about making a questionable decision, think about who you are affecting. You are affecting your parents.
“To see the way my old man has been, and my mum – it hurts.”
Smith, who was flanked by police yesterday as he left South Africa, was speaking at a packed press conference in Sydney International Airport.
Lehmann was cleared of any involvement in the ploy by Cricket Australia but also fought tears as he announced he will resign after the Fourth Test against South Africa.
He said: “This is the right time to step away. I’m ultimately responsible for the culture of the team and I have been thinking about my future for a while.
“Despite telling the media yesterday that I am not resigning, after viewing Steve and Cameron’s hurting it is only fair that I make this decision.
“This will allow Cricket Australia to complete a full review into the culture of the team and allow them to implement changes to regain the trust of the Australian public.
“This is the right thing for Australian cricket.
“Like all Australians we are extremely disappointed and as a team we have let so many people down. For that we are truly sorry.”
Smith’s former vice-captain Warner, the driving force behind Cameron Bancroft rubbing the ball with sandpaper, tweeted an apology.
He said: “Mistakes have been made which have damaged cricket.
“I apologise for my part and take responsibility for it. I understand the distress this has caused 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 advisers.”
Bancroft, banned for nine months, said he had let a country down.
He said: “I lied. I lied about the sandpaper. I panicked in that situation and I am very sorry. I feel like I have let everyone down in Australia.
“The thing which breaks my heart the most is that I have given up my spot in the team for free.
“People know I tried to so hard to get to this point in my career to have given up that chance for free is devastating.
“I have never, ever been involved in ball-tampering before now and it clearly compromises my values that I stand for as a player and a person. It is truly embarrassing.”
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