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'I lied about sandpaper': Cameron Bancroft asks for forgiveness in emotional apology

'I have never ever been involved in tampering with the ball (before now) and it clearly compromises my values and what I stand for as a player and as a person,' says Bancroft.

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Cameron Bancroft issued an apology for his role in the recent ball-tampering scandal that has rocked the cricketing world.

The Australian opening batsman was caught on camera rubbing sandpaper on the ball during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town last week.

“I want to say that I’m very sorry. I’m very disappointed and I regret my actions. It is something I will regret for the rest of my life. All I can do is ask for forgiveness. I will do my best to contribute to the community," he said on Thursday.

Bancroft even admitted that he had lied during the post-match press conference, when he said the yellow object used to tamper the ball was adhesive tape and not sandpaper. “I lied. I lied about the sandpaper. I panicked in that situation and I’m very sorry. I feel like I’ve let everyone down in Australia. The thing that breaks my heart the most is that I’ve given up my spot in the team for free. People know I worked so hard to get to this point in my career and to have given up that chance for free is devastating.

“I have never ever been involved in tampering with the ball (before now) and it clearly compromises my values and what I stand for as a player and as a person. It’s so big because the action of doing it is completely wrong. For me to carry that out in front of world cricket and to be seen breaking the laws of the game, not playing within the spirit of the game, it’s completely how cricket shouldn’t be played. It’s going to be a really long road particularly for myself to earn that respect back but for me that’s the most important thing,” he added.

 

Earlier on Thursday, David Warner put out an apology on social media. "To cricket fans in Australia and all over the world: I am currently on my way to Sydney. Mistakes have been made which have damaged cricket. I apologise for my part and take responsibility for it," he wrote on Twitter.

"I understand the distress this has caused the sport and its fans. It's 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 advisors. You will hear from me in a few days," he added.

Earlier, Australian head coach Darren Lehmann had finally broken his silence on the incident, saying that he and his entire cricket team have to change their culture and need to learn from New Zealand the way they play cricket.

Lehmann had admitted that their former style of "butting heads on the line" would not stand anymore and that they need to oversee a cultural overhaul in order to save his team's shattered reputation. Former skipper Steve Smith and Warner were earlier handed a 12-month suspension by Cricket Australia (CA) for their involvement in the ball-tampering scandal

Bancroft, the third member found guilty in Cricket Australia's internal investigation and the player who actually tampered with the ball, was handed a nine-month suspension. The Cricket Australia had previously announced that it had found Steve Smith, Warner, and Cameron Bancroft guilty in the ball-tampering scandal, and suspended the trio for the fourth and final Test against South Africa in Johannesburg, beginning on Friday.

 

After the CA investigation, all three players were found guilty of breaching article 2.3.5 of Cricket Australia's Code of Conduct and were sent back home from South Africa on Thursday. Following the fiasco, Smith and Warner stood down as captain and vice-captain, respectively.

Smith, who was part of the "leadership group", admitted to charges of ball tampering, which took place during the third Test match in Cape Town, and stood down from captaining the side in the remaining days of the same Test.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) had initially handed a one-match suspension and fined 100 percent of his match fee to Smith for his leadership role in ball-tampering, while the global cricket body fined Bancroft 75 percent of his match fee and handed three demerit points to him for breaching Level 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct.

The incident took place during South Africa's second innings on Saturday afternoon when Bancroft was seen on television holding a small yellow object while rubbing the rough side of the ball, before hiding the object in his pocket and then inside his trousers.

 

(Inputs from ANI)

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