Undaunted by chants of cheat, Australia batsman Steve Smith ignored the booing from the Southampton crowd as he scored a sublime century in his team’s 12-run victory over hosts England in their first official warm-up fixture on Saturday at the Ageas Bowl.
Smith, who smashed a 102-ball 116 in his first appearance against England since his 12-month ban, insisted that such behaviour does not faze him. He was one of three Australian players suspended last year after being found guilty of ball-tampering in the Newlands Test against South Africa.
“Everyone’s entitled to their opinion and how they want to treat people,” Smith, who top-scored in Australia’s total of 297-9, told reporters after the match. “But it’s water off a duck’s back and it doesn’t bother me. I was just trying to keep my head down, move straight ahead and do my job.”
“The elbow is coming along pretty well. I haven’t really had to test it yet throwing-wise. I’d say I’m about 80 percent throwing-wise but I’m hoping it can progress a little bit more in the week leading up to the World Cup.”
Defending champions Australia will face Sri Lanka in their second warm-up game on May 27 before kick-starting their World Cup campaign against Afghanistan on June 1 in Bristol.
