DISGRACED Australian opener David Warner apologised today to fans and said he took responsibility for his part in a ball-tampering scandal that shocked the cricketing world.

“Mistakes have been made which have damaged cricket,” he said on Instagram in breaking his silence over the incident in the third Test against South Africa last weekend.

“I apologise for my part and take responsibility for it.”

Vice-captain Warner, along with skipper Steve Smith, have been banned from all international and domestic cricket for a year for their behaviour.

Opening batsman Cameron Bancroft was suspended for nine months.

Warner, a hard-hitting but divisive batsman in the world game, has become the focus of Australian media, who blame him for the scandal.

He was charged by Cricket Australia with developing the plan to use sandpaper to alter the ball and instructing Bancroft to carry it out.

“I understand the distress this has caused the sport and its fans,” Warner, who is on his way back to Sydney, told his 1.6 million Instagram followers. “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 advisers.

“You will hear from me in a few days.”

The fallout from the crisis has seen Warner dumped by sponsors Asics and LG.

Along with Smith, he has also been ejected from this year’s Indian Premier League, losing contracts worth nearly US$2 million (RM 7.7 million) each. – AFP, March 29, 2018.