Steve Smith vows to win back fans' trust following return to Australia

Former Australian captain Steve Smith vowed to win back the hearts of Aussie fans, speaking for the first time since his teary conference in March.

Smith was handed down a 12-month ban by Cricket Australia following the ball tampering scandal, but appeared to be in good spirits with a message on his personal Instagram account.

“I now have a lot to do to earn back your trust,” he wrote.

“I have had some time away to come to terms with everything and now it’s time to get back into it.”

Smith spent some time in the United States following his heart-wrenching press conference, and said he was “extremely humbled” by the messages of support he has received following the ordeal.

Smith is pictured with his fiancé Dani Willis and praised Willis and his family for their support as well.

“To my Mum, Dad and Dani you have been my rock through all this and I can’t thank you enough,” Smith wrote.

“Family is the most important thing in the world and I thank you for your love and support.”

The ball tampering scandal not only claimed Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, but also resulted in Australian coach Darren Lehmann stepping down and Lehmann welcomed his former skipper back via Twitter.

Lehmann was replaced at the helm of all three formats by former Australian Test batsman Justin Langer, and Langer did not close the door on a return for the banned trio.

“They’ve made mistakes. We have all made mistakes and we can all get better,” Langer said.

“If they meet the standards of the Australian cricket team, of course, they will be welcomed back.”

While the banned trio is unable to play domestic cricket in Australia, they are free to play overseas and there has been talk of Smith being linked with a move to English county side Surrey, but whether the move eventuates remains to be seen.