After being banned for one year and being stripped of the captaincy by Cricket Australia, for his involvement in the ball-tampering row, cricketer Steve Smith addressed a Press conference in Sydney shortly after landing in Australia.
Speaking at the Press conference, Smith said, “To all my teammates, to the fans all over the world, and to all Australians who are disappointed and angry, I’m sorry….Tonight, I want to make it clear that as the captain of the Australian cricket team, I take full responsibility. I made a serious error of judgment and I now understand the consequences. It was a failure of my leadership.(sic)”
“I’ll do everything I can to make up my mistake and the damage it has caused. If any good can come from this, then I hope I can be a force for the change. I know I’ll regret this for the rest of my life..I’m absolutely gutted…I hope in time, I can earn back respect and forgiveness. I’ve been privileged to represent my country and captaining the Australian cricket team.”
Steve Smith went on to say that it’s important to think of parents and loved ones before taking a questionable decision as he broke down in tears feeling sorry for his father and mother.
Off late, there has been a huge uproar in the cricketing fraternity over the ball-tampering row that recently came to light during the third Test in South Africa. Australian skipper Steve Smith, his deputy David Warner, and opening batsmen Cameron Bancroft were found guilty of trying to tamper the ball in desperation to win the game for their team. The trio was handed over severe punishments by Cricket Australia with Smith and Warner being banned for one year and Bancroft was handed over a nine-month ban. It was also reported that David Warner will not be allowed to lead any Australian national team in the future.
Image screenshot from Cricket Australia’s YouTube video.
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