Smith, Warner will receive hostile reception from SA fans with open arms: Steve Waugh

Former Australia skipper Steve Waugh has said that the hostile reception from the South African fans will only motivate David Warner and Steve Smith to score more runs in the upcoming limited-overs series.

Australia has not played a T20 international since November and this is the side's first tour back to South Africa since the ball-tampering scandal in 2018.

"They will welcome it with open arms. There will be a few comments, and that's all part of the game. They will expect it. They got that in England it didn't work. Look at Steve Smith in that first Test match at Edgbaston ... the crowds were booing him constantly and he got 140 in each innings," sport24.co.za quoted Waugh as saying.

"I would say to South African crowds 'go for it' because it will motivate these players and they'll score runs. It's only natural, I just hope that it's in good spirits and it doesn't go too far," he added.

In 2018, David Warner, Steve Smith, and Cameron Bancroft were involved in ball-tampering in the Cape Town Test and as a result, the trio was suspended by Cricket Australia for one year.

Australia will next take on South Africa in three T20Is and as many ODIs.

The first T20I will be played on February 21.