HUGS AND CUDDLES
Return of Smith and Warner has seen Aussies swap snarls and sledges for...
There will not be a touchier, feelier team at this World Cup than Australia. Not so long ago, they were too busy ‘headbutting the line’ to care about much else. Now, as they prepare to defend the trophy they clinched in Melbourne four years ago, it is all hugs and cuddles.
This is no bad thing: international sportsmen are too easily mocked for displaying their humanity. But with Australia in the process of welcoming back Steve Smith and David Warner following the sandpaper farce in Cape Town, the irony of the transition will be lost on no one.
Australia coach Justin Langer was never averse to a word with opposition batsmen during his 105-Test career, but circumstances persuaded him to adopt a gentler tone when his team arrived in the UK last week. ‘They’re human beings,’ he said of the returning duo. ‘There’s not many I’ve met who like being booed. We’re going to have to care for them. We’re going to have to put an arm around them and make sure they’re going OK.’
If that sounds like the kind of advice that might have been given to any england cricketer heading for Australia since the first tour there in 1876, then it merely confirms that we live in extraordinary times.
With a gleeful twist, fate has decreed that the first post-ban cricket for Smith and Warner is a summer in england, where beered-up fans will not tire of mockery. Today’s World Cup warm-up match against england in Southampton will give them a gentle taste of what lies in store.
Lesser players, of course, would have been jettisoned by now. But Smith and Warner are among the best, and team-mates understand that their own chances improve with them in the side. When the squad met up in Dubai recently, Warner spoke of ‘big hugs and cuddles’ — a courtesy he has not always extended to others.
The warmth is genuine, even if it is tinged with pragmatism.
The road to redemption has been circuitous, painful, even tragic. Not long after the South African tour, Warner’s wife Candice — who had endured nasty abuse at the hands of local fans — suffered a miscarriage. It was a reminder real people lurk behind the headlines.
There are suggestions Warner is trying to change his brash image. Following some frank advice from english sports agent James erskine, who objected to his tendency to wear shades and a baseball cap, chew gum and rarely smile, Warner has made himself more approachable, even trading in his Bentley for a Toyota truck.
The two Australians (Cameron Bancroft is not in the World Cup squad) have certainly had time for reflection, and at improbable venues. Their first cricket after Cape Town came at a low-key Twenty20 tournament in Canada, where the host venue — Maple Leaf CC — bordered a fence. The lady who lived on the other side refused to throw the ball back.
Warner, meanwhile, made headlines in October when he walked off the field during a grade game in Sydney after being sledged. The death of satire maybe, though it at least suggested he was now in the mood to avoid conflict rather than instigate it.
It was not necessarily an approach shared by his fellow exiles. Over Christmas, Smith and Bancroft gave interviews in which they made it clear where they believed the blame lay. Smith said he had ‘turned a blind eye’ to the moment Warner instructed Bancroft on the art of sandpaper use, while Bancroft confirmed Warner’s central role in the scam. Warner remained silent.
Warner enjoyed a fruitful IPL, where he formed a fine opening partnership with Jonny Bairstow, who he had sledged viciously during the 2017-18 Ashes. As Langer put it recently: ‘Dave’s got that look in his eyes.’
Aussie assistant coach Brad haddin, a sledger in his playing days, gave Warner his backing. ‘he’s been great since he’s come back into the group. The guys are excited about the World Cup.
‘I hope they are smiling. If they are not, it will be disappointing. We’ll be encouraging them to smile and compete.’
Only a fool would write the Aussies off. They are a more confident side than the shambles who lost 5-0 in england last year and they know how to win World Cups with five in the bag already.
If Smith and Warner can inspire Australia to number six, their reintegration will be complete. even the Barmy Army may struggle to sing a song about that.