'Out of context': Starc addresses reports

Star fast bowler Mitchell Starc has issued a pointed statement responding to reports he criticised banned teammates Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft at a corporate function, insisting his comments were taken out of context.

News outlets earlier this week quoted Starc at a Women in Banking and Finance forum in Sydney, which he attended with his wife (and Australia wicketkeeper) Alyssa Healy, appearing to criticise Smith and Bancroft for their initial press conference in Cape Town after being accused of ball-tampering in March.

At that press conference after day three of the third Test against South Africa, Bancroft, flanked by Smith, said he used yellow sticky tape with granules from the pitch in an attempt to scuff one side of the ball. It was later revealed sandpaper, brought from the team changing room, had in fact been used.

Cricket Australia suspended Bancroft for nine months, while Smith and David Warner were banned for 12 months for their roles in the scandal. Their sanctions don't preclude them from playing in overseas domestic leagues or in Premier Cricket in Australia, with the trio set for stints in Darwin (Warner and Bancroft) and Canada (Smith and Warner) in the coming months.

Amid the fallout from the damaging saga have been reports of rifts between senior Australian players, but Starc expressed his support for the three banned players on Saturday.

"Despite reports to the contrary, I continue to have the utmost respect for Steve Smith as captain, team-mate and friend and I look forward to having him back in our great game soon," Starc, who is sitting out Australia's limited-overs tour of the United Kingdom due to injury, wrote in a statement on his website.

"That goes for David and Cameron who have also been through an extremely tough time. It is good to see all three guys planning to be back in cricket soon in different competitions around the world.

"Rebuilding trust and developing a positive reputation will take time and through our actions, we hope to demonstrate this to cricket fans everywhere.

"The process has already started and the focus now should be on the cricket being played and the stories of performance and change in the current series, led by new Aussie coach Justin Langer, captain Tim Paine and the current team over in the UK."

In his statement, Starc confirmed his attendance at the Women in Banking and Finance forum and did not deny making comments about Smith and Bancroft.

"Going back to what Sue (Cato, a public relations consultant) said before about being upfront and tackling a problem head on, that's something the group who decided to go into a press conference didn't really think about," Starc was reported as saying at the function.

"They obviously didn't see how big the reaction was going to be at that time and then went down the path of not telling the whole truth and then I guess involving another group, which ruined – well, not ruined – but affected other reputations."

Starc clarified those remarks in his statement on the weekend, writing: "My comments at the forum were provided in the context of a particular topic, as it related to being honest and authentic in delivering a message.

"This context has unfortunately been lost in certain media reporting and headlines in recent days."

Starc said there were lessons to be learnt from the Cape Town incident and admitted the national side must now focus on regaining the trust of the Australian public.

"…fundamentally there are many things that we can all learn from recent events in South Africa," he continued.

"It was such a stressful time in our lives. There was strain on relationships both as individuals and as a team. However, the relationships of that group remain very much intact.

"I look forward to the opportunity to play alongside every one of my team mates from that tour again.

"We still have a long way to go in rebuilding the trust with the Australian public and I know personally, that I am 100 per cent committed to doing that."