Australian batsman David Warner is prepared to weather the hostility anticipated from South African crowds during February’s T20I series.
The Proteas and Australia will contest three T20Is in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town this month. Warner and fellow batsman Steven Smith are part of the squad. Both were found guilty of ball-tampering during Australia’s Test series in South Africa in 2018.
‘For me personally, it won’t be hard at all,” Warner told Sydney radio station 2GB. ‘I just go there and I’ve got a job to do and that’s to score runs and win games for Australia and put us in a good position. Obviously, it’s going to be very hostile.
Warner and Smith served lengthy suspensions imposed by Cricket Australia – and returned for last year’s Ashes series in the United Kingdom.
‘I copped it in England. I actually enjoyed that and played along with it. Hopefully, we’re showed some respect when we go over to Africa and the things that happen in the past stay there,’ added Warner.
Team-mate Josh Hazlewood is confident Smith and Warner will cope – and perhaps even be better for the criticism.
‘Steve and Dave have ticked off pretty much every box since coming back. It’s just another one of those and I don’t think it’ll faze them one bit. They probably play better when it’s like this. It’s nothing we haven’t experienced before. We’ll be fine,’ added Hazlewood.
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