Australian batsman David Warner has broken down in tears as he apologised for the role he played in the ball-tampering scandal.
Warner and Steve Smith were given year-long bans by Cricket Australia following the incident in the recent third Test match against South Africa in Cape Town. Cameron Bancroft also received a nine-month suspension.
In a press conference given by Smith earlier in the week, he admitted that a ‘leadership group’ amongst the Australian team had devised a plan to tamper with the ball. A swiftly conducted Cricket Australia investigation found Warner instructed Bancroft, appearing in just his eighth test, to use sandpaper to damage one side of the ball.
Speaking on Saturday, Warner appeared to concede the chances of him representing his country again were extremely slim, but added that he had a “tiny ray of hope” he may be able to salvage his international cricket career. Admitting he and nobody else was responsible for his actions, he added that he fully supported the Cricket Australia review into team culture.
“It is heartbreaking to know I will not be taking the field with team-mates I love and respect and that I have let down,” Warner said.
“It is something I will regret for as long as I live.”
Watch LIVE: David Warner speaks to the media in Sydney https://t.co/Psybip9QLZ
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) March 31, 2018
Warner did not directly answer questions about whether or not the plan to tamper with the ball extended beyond the three men already suspended. Instead, he reiterated that he was there to take responsibility for his own actions in Cape Town.
