Former Australia captain Steve Smith says he cried for four days as he tried to cope with the fallout from the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in March.

Smith and former Test vice-captain David Warner were handed 12-month bans by Cricket Australia (CA) after admitting a plan to tamper the ball during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

The duo lost their leadership positions and were sent home after the incident with Smith breaking down in tears while apologising at an emotional press conference at Sydney Airport.

"To be honest, I probably spent four days in tears," Smith told students at a school according to the Sydney Morning Herald. "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."

Smith and Warner are scheduled to return to competitive action in the Global T20 Canada, a tournament that starts on June 28.

Junior batsman Cameron Bancroft was banned for nine months for his role in the incident.