Australia and South Africa will play in a three-match ODI series starting Thursday, September 24. Before the start of the series, Mitchell Starc made a significant statement about the rivalry between the players of both countries.
Starc spoke on the animosity between Australia and South Africa players.
The Australian cricket team is currently on a tour of South Africa. The team will play three ODIs and three Test matches in South Africa. The first ODI between South Africa and Australia will be played on Thursday, September 24th. Prior to this, Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has commented on the animosity between the players of both countries. Starc says that there is no longer the same bitterness or tension between Australia and South Africa as before. According to Starc, there is no animosity left between the two teams, and the series will be played in a good atmosphere.
It's worth noting that during the 2018 tour of South Africa, Australian players were found guilty of ball tampering, in which Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft found guilty. All three were severely punished. Since then, relations between the players of both countries have deteriorated. Now, Australia will return to this ground eight years after that tense 2018 series, which is remembered for altercations between players from both teams and the "Sandpaper Gate" controversy.
"I think there's no animosity anymore. Both teams know each other very well in the world of franchise (T20) cricket. Not just me, but many of the other players have been playing with and against each other for a few years. So these are definitely two teams that know each other a little bit, both on and off the field. I don't think that will affect either team's desire to win 3-0 or dominate," Starc told cricket.com.au.
Starc also said he expects to hear a lot of noise from the stands, especially from the famous 'Castle Corner'. He said, "I know how to ignore them. I remember the 'RSA' corner. There are no rules about serving alcohol there. They can get rowdy, which you expect on overseas tours. There's no doubt we'll see something like this throughout the series. I can't say for sure if it will happen on Thursday, but it will definitely happen during the Test match."
