Outgoing Bendigo and Adelaide Bank managing director Mike Hirst has drawn parallels between Australian cricket's ball-tampering scandal and the Hayne royal commission, saying leaders need to step up and take responsibility for the misconduct of team members.

As the veteran banker prepares to step aside after nine years in the top job, he also took a parting shot at the regulators such as the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority, which curtailed the ability of the smaller banks to take the fight to their bigger rivals.