Future appears through young men's tears

Through the hurt and the tears, beyond the heartfelt apologies and anguished remorse, the sentiments of Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft stood as raw and unmistakable as their distress.

Under the world's glare sat two young men granted a singularly special gift who had grasped their childhood dreams barely upon reaching adulthood, then let them slip and shatter in a few minutes of panicked, woolly thoughted ill-judgement.

While it might have seemed tough to imagine as Smith sat wracking with sobs, a paternal hand resting helplessly on his shoulder, and Bancroft revealed glimpses of that steel required to face fast bowlers armed with a new cricket ball, it was also apparent that both wounded boys will fight back.

Smith, because there has simply never been anything else to which he has aspired in life and he will live beneath a weighty wrong until he earns an opportunity to right it.

And Bancroft because he understands the level of sacrifice and toil and bloody mindedness it took to scale that peak and is angry that he has stumbled on his own foolishness and allowed others to claim his footholds.

Any doubts that Smith has been rendered anything other than broken by events that have crashed down upon him since the ball-tampering scandal was revealed last Saturday were indelibly erased over the five brutal minutes of his airport media conference this evening.

The suspended captain of Australia appeared half his 28 years as he laid bare the depth of his despair, not through clinically crafted words assembled during his lonely 14-hour flight from Johannesburg but through his inability to find them through the welling tears and heaving breaths.

"I made a serious error of judgement, and I now understand the consequences," Smith said, reading from a prepared statement and showing a fragility that opposing Test attacks have never previously unearthed.

"It was a failure of leadership – of my leadership.

"I'll do everything I can to make up for my mistake and the damage it's caused.

"If any good can come of this, it's that it can be a lesson to others, and I hope I can be a force for 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 so privileged and honoured to represent my country and captain the Australian cricket team.

"Cricket is the greatest game in the world. It's been my life, and I hope it can be again."

It was when he invited questions, which for a moment seemed unlikely to arrive as journalists present seemingly felt it impolite to compound such obvious grief, that Smith's gallant efforts at stoicism betrayed him.

A query as to what message he would like to send to an inquisitor's three young sons was met, initially, with a look that suggested it was an almost welcome departure from the forensic examination of the events that had led him to that windowless meeting room.

But as he tried to articulate a three-pronged cautionary tale that he knew he should have observed a week earlier, he broke down while outlining the second point as his father again reached out to administer the unspoken reassurance of parenthood.

"Firstly, I'm deeply sorry," Smith began. "I love the game of cricket, I love entertaining young kids, I love kids wanting to play the great game of cricket that I love.

"The two other things (are), any time you think about making a questionable decision, think about who you're affecting.

"You're affecting your parents."

As the tears gave way to sobs, he battled on.

"To see the way my old man's been ...  and my mum, it hurts."

The third item was lost in a mind so heavily fogged he must wonder if it will ever clear.

Bancroft, who finally completed his slogging journey to Test cricket less than four months ago and must now begin that trek over again, was able to hold it together to the end when he spoke an hour earlier in Perth, but was no less contrite.

"Words don't mean much in these circumstances, so I will focus on my actions and conduct going forward," he read from a statement.

"Not a second has gone by since last Saturday evening when I haven't wished to turn back time and do the right thing during the lunch break.

"It is something I will regret for the rest of my life.

"It is something I will look to improve on, and earn the respect back of the community.

"All I can do in the short term is ask for forgiveness, I hope you can find it in your hearts to let me progress on that journey."

Lauded by all who have worked and played with him as a devout team player whose selflessness is surpassed only by a tirelessness to perfect his craft, Bancroft declined to lay blame on others for his lapse.

Rather he, like his captain on the other side of a continent that cricket historically unites, took responsibility for the actions that have brought to a shuddering halt a career barely begun.

And aired his inner fury that a chance he had strained and sweated for a decade to reach is now taken from him because he breached his own principles, as well as cricket's laws.

"I think through this, through the last few days and sitting in my own company and just thinking, the thing that breaks my heart the most is I've just given up my spot in the team to somebody else for free," he said as if venting the hurt that has churned within him for five days.

"People know I've worked so hard to get to this point in my career, and to know I've just given somebody else an opportunity for free is devastating for me.

"I know that it's going to be a difficult journey back, but the moment I step foot outside this room is the moment that I take steps forward toward earning that respect back and to get back that dream that I've had as a dream growing up, and that is to play Test cricket for Australia."

The third player who should be involved in the Test match against South Africa at Johannesburg's Wanderers Stadium – almost mockingly nicknamed the 'Bullring' – but is instead serving the first week of a year-long ban, is David Warner.

Smith's vice-captain arrived in Sydney hours after his fallen skipper and his young opening partner had fronted the media and laid themselves bare before the world, and spoke briefly to the waiting press pack, with wife Candice clearly emotional by his side, their two daughters in their arms. 

Earlier in the day, he had used social media to indicate he would be holding his counsel until at least the coming week.

"Mistakes have been made which have damaged cricket," Warner said in statement released as a tweet.

"I apologise for my part and take responsibility for it.

"I understand the distress this has caused the sport and its fans.

"Its (sic) a stain on the game we all love and I have loved since I was a boy.

"I need to take a deep breath and spend time with my family, friends and trusted advisers.

"You will hear from me in a few days."

Perhaps, only then, can true healing begin.

Qantas tour of South Africa

South Africa squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen, Quinton de Kock, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, AB de Villiers.

Australia squad: Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.

Warm-up match: Australia beat South Africa A by five wickets. Report, highlights

First Test Australia won by 118 runs. Scorecard

Second Test South Africa won by six wickets. Scorecard

Third Test South Africa won by 322 runs. Scorecard

Fourth Test Wanderers, Johannesburg, March 30-April 3. Live coverage