Steve Smith has kept a low profile since giving an emotional press conference at the Sydney International Airport in March. (Reuters Photo)
Steve Smith said that he “probably spent four days in tears” over the ball-tampering scandal that led him to losing the Australian captaincy. Smith has been keeping a low profile since giving an emotional press conference at the Sydney International Airport after his return from Cape Town, South Africa in March. But he made a rare public appearance when, according to The Sydney Morning Herald, he was a special guest for a Knox Grammar School’s year six and senior school assembly and the Gotcha 4 Life Foundation.
“To be honest, I probably spent four days in tears,” he is quoted as saying. “I was really struggling mentally and I was really lucky that I had some close friends and family members that I could speak to at all hours of the day. The people that I had supporting me through that whole time made a huge difference to the head space I am in now.”
It was further reported that Smith discussed mental health, anxiety, making mistakes and the importance of boys establishing a network of friends and family to help them through challenging times.
Smith and his vice-captain David Warner were stripped off their positions, banned from international and domestic cricket for one year and handed hefty fines for their respective roles in the ball-tampering scandal that erupted during a Test match between Australia and South Africa in Cape Town. Both he and Warner returned after that match and Smith broke down in a press conference that he gave at the Sydney airport with his father standing behind him. Warner and Smith will be taking part in the forthcoming Global T20 Canada tournament.