Steve Smith apologises after fine for dissent: "I know lots of kids watch me play"

Former Australia captain Smith - stripped of the role last year following his involvement in the Newlands ball-tampering scandal - addressed the national squad in Brisbane ahead of the first Test against Pakistan

Steve Smith has apologised to his Australia teammates after being reprimanded for dissent during a Sheffield Shield game.

The world's best Test batsman was fined 25 per cent of his match fee after his actions upon being given out while playing for New South Wales against Western Australia.

Former Australia captain Smith - stripped of the role last year following his involvement in the Newlands ball-tampering scandal - addressed the national squad in Brisbane ahead of the first Test against Pakistan.

The squad reportedly held a "values meeting" on Saturday in the wake of Smith's punishment, and the one-match ban handed to James Pattinson following an alleged homophobic slur during a separate Sheffield Shield game this week.

"Sometimes your emotions can get the better of you out on the field,” Smith said. "We’re playing a game [where] everyone is trying to do their best and sometimes that happens. I came in and apologised to the group yesterday for getting a code of conduct.

NOW READ: Pattinson banned following alleged homophobic slur

"I don’t think there was a great deal in it but I’ve copped it and I have to look at when I get out and the way I sort of conduct myself. I know lots of kids watch me play and watch all of us play and the way we conduct ourselves when we get out as well as when we’re batting.

"So we have to be very mindful of that and sometimes just bite the bullet and just conduct ourselves in, I guess, a better manner at times."

Australia captain Tim Paine said: "Obviously we’ve had a couple of instances this week but we always revisit them. We did again last night, just to brush up on what’s expected and what we expect of the group.

"Both of those guys apologised last night, they know that they fell a little bit short of what we set ourselves in the Test team. And the fact that it’s important that we maintain that when we go back to state cricket and lead the way there. They’re disappointed with that but we are going to keep on top of it and maintain the level that we’ve set so far in the last couple of years.

"I think it’s more just a reminder that we’ve got to set those standards all the time. Whether we’re playing for Australia or we’re playing club cricket or we’re playing for our states or we’re not playing cricket, there are standards we set ourselves to live by day in and day out so it’s important we do that whether we’re on the field off the field, regardless of who we’re playing for."

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