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.