’Failure of leadership’
“I don’t blame anyone, I’m the captain of the Australian team and I take responsibility for the actions that happened.” Smith, a golden boy who has been compared to the legendary Australian Donald Bradman for his batting exploits, added: “I just want to say sorry for the pain I’ve brought to Australia, to the fans and the public.”
Warner also broke his silence yesterday, apologising and accepting his role in the cheating storm.
Bancroft asked for forgiveness on his return to Perth, saying he was ashamed of himself.
Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council (ICC) will review its code of conduct and sanctions in the wake of Australia’s ball-tampering scandal.
ICC chief David Richardson has revealed his organisation will undertake “quite a wideranging review into player conduct, in particular the spirit in which the game is played and the code of conduct”.
It could result in changes to how some misdeeds are punished. The ICC found Bancroft guilty of ball tampering but didn’t suspend him, while it slapped Steve Smith with a one-Test ban.
Richardson suggested player behaviour was already on the agenda at a series of ICC meetings in April, but the recent scandal resulted in “additional urgency”.
“This is an opportunity for us to draw a line in the sand and say quite clearly fans are concerned about the way the game is played,” Richardson said.
“The reaction ... all around the world shows us that if we neglect the way the game is played, cricket is itself in danger.
“That definition of ‘it’s just not cricket’, well, we’ve got an obligation to make sure that still becomes a relevant phrase in the English language.
“Ball tampering around the world is considered cheating ... I think we need to look at it again, and this is what has prompted this review.”
Richardson noted “ugly sledging, abusive language, dissenting umpires’ decisions” had also caused a lot of concern at the game’s governing body.
The former South Africa wicketkeeper admitted change wouldn’t happen overnight. “In a relatively short space of time we can make amendments to our code of conduct ... (but) it will take longer though to implement a culture of respect,” he said.