Langer backs Warner, Smith to cope with baiting S Africa fans
SHOWS: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (FEBRUARY 17, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
1. NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN CRICKET JUSTIN LANGER SAYING:
"It was obviously a very hard tour last time but the way our guys have moved on gave us a great opportunity to reassess where we're at in Australian cricket. We talked about making Australians proud of us again and earning back respect, not only from the Australian public and our past players but across the world and hopefully they've shown that over the past 18 months. So the guys are in a really good place, worked hard, we had a tough tour in England but the way the guys have come together, played great cricket, great ambassadors for Australian cricket, on and off the cricket field and we're really excited to be back here, we love playing cricket in South Africa."
3. CAMERA
4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN CRICKET COACH JUSTIN LANGER SAYING:
"There was a brilliant reintegration back in to the team before they came back into the team 12 months ago or whenever it was, eight months ago. So there was a lot of really good work done then and we've had a great dress rehearsal for South Africa from England, it was a tough tour for those two guys and I was really proud of the way they let their bats do the talking. They were again great ambassadors off the field so hopefully they'll be looking forward to getting back in and playing good cricket here as well."
5. JOURNALISTS
6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUSTRALIAN T-20 CRICKET CAPTAIN AARON FINCH SAYING:
"Whether you're playing in Australia or here or even at a neutral venue like the ICC tournament the crowd are very vocal so our guys are expecting that and like you said David (Warner) loves that banter coming from the crowd and it sort of gets him into the game. So regardless of what I thinthe crowd are going to act however they please so I don't think it's going to make much difference to us, we're going to play cricket with a smile on our face and represent Australia very proudly>"
7. FINCH AND LANGER AT NEWS CONFERENCE
8. VARIOUS VIEWS OF THE WANDERERS STADIUM
STORY: Australia coach Justin Langer believes disgraced David Warner and Steve Smith are ready for a hostile reception from South African supporters when they play in a three-match Twenty20 International series starting in Johannesburg on Friday.
The duo were central to the 'Sandpapergate' scandal where, along with batsman Cameron Bancroft, they were found guilty of conspiring to cheat by altering the state of the ball in a test match in Cape Town in March 2018.
Cricket Australia banned Warner and former captain Smith from taking part in domestic and international matches for a year, though they have since made a successful return to the team and remain key figures in the batting line-up.
Langer says the players, and the team, have "moved on" from the scandal, but acknowledges that South African fans might have not.
As disastrous as the scandal was for the image of Australian cricket, Langer believes they have come out of it in a healthier space after there had been heavy criticism of the team's on-field behaviour for a number of years before the incident.
Captain Aaron Finch echoed those sentiments and said that if anything, a hostile crowd will bring out the best in the players.
The Twenty20 series against South Africa starts in Johannesburg, before moving to Port Elizabeth on Sunday and finally Cape Town on Feb. 26. The sides will then clash in three ODI matches.
(Production: Jim Hatley)
