Guy Sebastian's viral plea sums up what we all need to remember about the cricket saga.

Guy Sebastian has been a cricket tragic since he was young. He loves taking his young sons Hudson and Archer to Milo cricket on Saturday mornings.

And although news of the Australian cricket team’s orchestrated attempt to cheat during a test match against South Africa hit him hard, the ball-tampering isn’t the part of this saga that’s troubling him most.

In a viral plea that’s been ‘liked’ by almost 5,000 people, the singer and father-of-two summed up what we all need to remember right now about the men who’ve tarnished the spirit of Aussie cricket.

“The last few days have been strangely quite emotional for me regarding this whole #SandpaperGate incident,” the 36-year-old wrote on Facebook.

“However, I have to say that I am deeply troubled by the extent of the backlash that these players are facing. So much has already been said about how wrong it was and I’ve echoed similar sentiments in private. But when do we stop?”

Singling out the backlash former Australian cricket captain Steve Smith has received since announcing he and fellow players David Warner and Cameron Bancroft used sticky tape to tamper with a match ball, the Australian Idol winner urged cricket fans to remember that behind the cameras is a man he imagines “feels like he’s lost everything”.

“Since [Sunday’s press conference, Smith] has lost sponsors, his financial livelihood is in tatters, he’s been publicly torn to shreds, his partner and family have suffered relentless abuse and he lost the honour of being the captain of his country – something he dreamt of his whole life,” Guy continued.

“We don’t even know all the facts… Despite there being so many unknowns we keep throwing stones at a good bloke who made a mistake, at the darkest most desperate time of his life – all over someone roughing up a ball.”

We unpack the Australian cricket ball-tampering saga on the latest episode of Mamamia Out Loud. Post continues after audio.

All three players are on their way back to Australia, where they will undoubtedly continue to pay for their poor judgement. Their careers and reputations are forever ruined, as is the great legacy of cricket in this country.

But how personal are we willing to make this? Guy asked.

“I know it’s a terrible look and sets a bad example but our kids get it, they’ve seen the consequences and we need to stop.”

“As a country I know we are better than cheating in sport, but we are also better than unmercifully smashing someone when they’re down. We all make mistakes.”

Do you agree with Guy Sebastian? Do you think the extent of abuse Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft are experiencing is warranted?