Former Australian cricket captain Steve Smith has faced a large crowd of media in Sydney after returning from South Africa to answer questions about the ball-tampering scandal.
Cricket Australia slapped Smith with a 12-month ban on Wednesday over the incident, which sent shockwaves around the world.
"I’m sorry and I’m absolutely devastated," a tearful Smith said.
"I'll do everything I can to make up for my mistake and the damage it's caused.
Cricket Captain Steve Smith arrives at Sydney International Airport in Sydney, Thursday. Source: AAP
"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 hope in time I earn back respect and forgiveness… cricket is the greatest game in the world. It’s been my life and I hope it will be again.
"I know I will regret this for the rest of my life and I’m absolutely gutted."
Smith said he made “a serious error of judgement” and understood the consequences.
“It was a failure of leadership, my leadership. I’ll do everything I can to make up for my mistake,” he said.
"To my knowledge, this has never happened before.
His advice to young players in the game was to think deeply about making any questionable decisions as a cricketer.
Smith cried on several occasions during the press conference and had to be ushered from the room shortly after raising how he'd let down his father.
Smith’s press conference came shortly after cricketer Cameron Bancroft offered an emotional apology to fans in Perth.
"I’m sorry to those people who look up to me around the world, especially children," Bancroft told reporters after returning from South Africa on Thursday.
"I want to say that I’m very sorry. it is something I will regret for the rest of my life ... All I can do in the short-term is ask for forgiveness."
Cameron Bancroft, left, and Steve Smith. Source: AAP
Bancroft was banned for nine months, while Smith and Warner copped 12-month bans.
On Thursday, Bancroft admitted he lied about using sandpaper to roughen the ball's surface. He had initially told reporters he used tape.
"I understand I have let many people down ... words don’t mean much in these circumstances," Bancroft said on Thursday.
"It's going to be a long road and really difficult to earn respect back but that's the most important thing for me.
"Yes, I lied about the sandpaper ... I panicked in that situation and I am very sorry.
"It was me that carried out the action of using the sandpaper and it's not good enough. It's embarrassing and I'm sorry."
Bancroft refused to comment on the other players involved in the scandal.
Former Australian cricket captain Steve Smith. Source: AAP
"Mistakes have been made which have damaged cricket," he wrote.
Players may appeal bans
The Australia Cricketers' Association has foreshadowed potential appeals by banned players Smith, Warner and Bancroft after raising major concerns about Cricket Australia's handling of the issue.
"There are a number of glaring and clear anomalies in the process to date which causes the ACA to query the severity and proportionality of the proposed sanctions," the ACA said in a statement.
The ACA noted that the grading and sanctions for the players were well above what the ICC had implemented, that the bans were not reasonable on a world scale and that CA's board shouldn't have been the "deliberative body on the proposed sanctions".
