Justin Langer has downplayed the significance of last year’s ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town ahead of Saturday’s clash between Australia and the Proteas. DANIEL GALLAN reports.
It’s been almost 16 months since Cameron Bancroft was caught in possession of a piece of sandpaper in Cape Town, but the memories of the Australian ball-tampering scandal and the rivalry with South Africa looms large over Saturday’s World Cup clash between the two sides.
Australia are already through to the semi-finals and will be targeting a victory that will secure their place at the top of the table. South Africa are already eliminated and have nothing but pride to play for. And, of course, there is the little matter of unfinished business and an end to a narrative that stretched back almost a year and a half.
‘You can try and bring emoting into the game but we’re had enough emotion in Australian cricket for the last 12 months to last us a lifetime,’ Australia coach Langer said.
Predicting: Proteas XI vs Australia
Seven of Australia’s World Cup squad were on the field when SuperSport cameras captured a moment that would ignite a rethink of Australia’s cricketing culture. David Warner and Steve Smith, two of the main protagonists, that day shared a dressing room with Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon.
‘I cannot talk for the players and there will be different motivations for them. But for us, this game is about getting two points,’ Langer said. ‘It has taken a lot of hard work from where we came from in Cape Town. It was one of the great crises in Australian cricket; a lot of heartache, certainly a lot of pain.’
Australia are now poised to steam into the semi-finals as the form team of the World Cup. They’ve played an aggressive brand of cricket with power hitters Warner and captain Aaron Finch doing the damage up front, while Starc and Jason Behrendorff’s fast left-arm swingers have decimated batting units.
For Langer, a return to the ‘Australian way’ has been the key to their success.
‘It’s nice to win games of cricket but there’s more to us than just that,’ he said. ‘Hopefully we’re doing it in the right way. We want to make Australians proud of us back home. We talked about earning respect again from other countries. Hopefully we’re doing that too.’
Photo: Paul Kane/Getty Images
