29 March 2018, Sydney Airport, Sydney, Australia
Good evening, thanks for coming, appreciate it. To all of my teammates, to fans of cricket all over the world, and to all Australians who are disappointed and angry – I'm sorry. What happened in Cape Town has already been laid out by Cricket Australia. Tonight I want to make clear as captain of the Australian Cricket Team, I take full responsibility. I made a serious error of judgement, and I now understand the consequences. 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. I'm sorry and I'm absolutely devastated. I'll take some questions.