Smith and Warner can cope with facing SA again: Langer

MANCHESTER: Australia coach Justin Langer believes Steve Smith and David Warner will be under no extra pressure when they face South Africa for the first time since both batsmen were given 12-month bans for ball-tampering.Then-captain Smith and Warner, his deputy, were hit with year-long bans by Cricket Australia for their roles in an extraordinary incident during a Test in Cape Town that saw team-mate Cameron Bancroft indulge in a brazen breach of the rules by applying sandpaper to the ball.Both Smith and Warner have been subjected to repeated booing by English crowds during the World Cup -- the pair’s first major international tournament since their suspensions ended. “They got a good taste of what they were going to expect from the moment we turned up in England,” Langer told reporters at Old Trafford on Thursday.“This game is significant for a lot of our players, but we’ve just got to take all the emotion out of it.” Reigning champions Australia are already through to the semi-finals but Saturday’s match could determine whether they finish top of the standings and so avoid a last-four clash against resurgent hosts England.

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