Smith’s father puts away son’s cricket kit in garage after tampering scandal

: Steve Smith’s father, Peter, put away his son’s cricket kit in the garage of their home following a one-year ban handed to the Australian batsman by Cricket Australia, says reports. Smith had addressed the media shortly after landing in Sydney on Thursday, issuing an emotional apology and fielding a few questions on his role in the balltampering scandal that has rocked Australian cricket.

Peter was seen standing beside his son all through the press conference, even consoling him when the 28-year-old broke down on a couple of occasions. In footage released by Australian news channel ‘Seven News’, Peter was seen carrying Smith’s cricket kit from the car and putting it away in the garage while commenting: “He’ll be fine, he’ll survive, he’ll survive.”

During the press conference, Smith had apologised while seeking forgiveness for his failure as Australia captain. He also broke down while talking about the impact the incident had had on his parents. “To all of my teammates, to fans of cricket and to all Australians who are disappointed and angry, I’m sorry. What happened in Cape Town has already been laid down...I want to make clear, as captain of the Australian cricket team, I take full responsibility. It was a failure of my leadership,” Smith had stated.

“To see how my old man and how my mum has been, it hurts. 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. 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 to Australia, to the fans and the public,” a teary eyed Smith added.

MUMBAI