Won’t be easy for Smith, Warner on their return, says Ponting
melbourne — Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting feels the return of Steve Smith and David Warner won’t be easy as he expects fan hostility and intense media scrutiny during the World Cup in the UK later this year.
Ponting said there won’t be any internal hostility towards the former captain and vice-captain who are expected to be back into the national fold following their 12-month bans in the aftermath of ball tampering incident.
“I don’t think it is much of a challenge internally around the players,” Ponting told cricket.com.au.
“You’d like to think that those guys are having conversations now, so they’re not leaving it to the last minute
and just be exposed to this thing that could be derailing to a team.
“I’m sure this would have been talked about at a higher level for a long time - how do we integrate them back in? How do they fit in?
How is it all going to be seamless?
“But the hardest part for those guys is going to be the public perception of us, especially in England. They’re coming back into a World Cup in the UK - they shouldn’t be expecting too many pats on the back over there,” he said.
“They’re going to cop it everywhere they go. They’ve got to know that, they’ve got to accept that and understand that. The team needs to as well, because that could also be something that could be unsettling for a team,” he added.
Smith and Warner weren’t named to play in Australia’s final World Cup buildup in the UAE, an upcoming five-match series against Pakistan, despite their bans getting over before the fourth ODI in Dubai.
“I think they are well equipped (to handle the scrutiny), but I think it could be a shock for them by the same token when they come back,” Ponting said.