"I am deeply sorry, I love the game of cricket, I love kids wanting to play the great game of cricket that I love.

"Any time you think about making a questionable decision, think about affecting your parents.

"To see the way my old man has been, and my mum, it hurts. I just want to say I'm sorry for the pain I have brought to Australia and the fans and the public."

Australian cricket captain Steve Smith breaks down in tears in a press conference at Sydney airport on Thursday when he admitted he had gone along with tampering with the ball in a match the Aussies lost to South Africa in Cape Town.

"I really felt for Steve when I saw him crying in front of the media and all the players are really hurting.

"As I've stated before, I had no prior knowledge of the incident and do not condone what happened, but all good people can make mistakes.

"My family and I have copped a lot of abuse and its taken its toll. As many of you in this room will know, life on the road means a lot of time away from our loved ones and, after speaking with my family at length over the last few days, it's time to step away."

The Australian team coach Darren Lehmann, red-eyed and wiping away tears, as he announced his resignation.

"Blimey Ive not seen this many Aussies crying since Bouncer from Neighbours died"

@RonCrossbar Twitter

"Unfortunately it was always going to end like this. Despite generation change, independent reviews and too many behavioural spotfires to list, Cricket Australia and the national team had shown no real willingness or desire to improve the culture within their organisation from season to season. That could only lead to one thing. An explosion."

Former Australia coach Mickey Arthur.