Langer: We've come a long way since Sandpapergate
Justin Langer has highlighted the strides his side have made since the Sandpapergate debacle which rocked Australian cricket last year.
It has been 16 months since the scandal unfolded in Cape Town, where television cameras spotted Cameron Bancroft with a piece of sandpaper, ultimately unveiling Steve Smith and David Warner’s plans to tamper with the ball.
READ: Ball-tampering report slams 'arrogant' Cricket Australia culture
What followed that was an inquest into the team’s culture.
Ironically it is the Australians who have the ascendancy as they prepare to face the Proteas in a World Cup pool game in Manchester this Saturday.
Australia has been the standout team at the tournament and will seal top spot if they beat South Africa at Old Trafford.
As for Smith and Warner, the pair have returned from their one-year bans and have hit form at the best possible time.
“They have had a good taste of what they can expect from the moment we arrived at this tournament,” Langer said when he was asked if he believed the pair would be affected by playing South Africa for the first time since being banned.
“We need to take all the emotion out of it,” he said.
“We are here to get two points, we are here to beat them on skill. This is just another World Cup game, they are cherishing playing for Australia again."
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A win means Australia will remain in Manchester for the semi-finals and in all likelihood will play old foes, New Zealand.
“It is just about maintaining the momentum of winning, that is really important for us,” Langer said.
“For this game, there is nothing dead about it, it is important, there is no way we will get complacent, not with what has happened over the last twelve months. We are playing good cricket and want to get our combination right for the first or second semi-final,” Langer concluded.
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