Unlike India, Pakistan fans will not boo Steve Smith, says Sarfaraz

Sarfraz Ahmed

Sarfaraz Ahmed insists Pakistan fans won't boo shamed Australia star Steven Smith during their World Cup match in Taunton on Wednesday.

Pakistan fans are expected to make up a large chunk of the crowd in the west country and there are fears they might follow the example of the India supporters who jeered Smith at the Oval on Sunday.

But Pakistan captain Sarfaraz says his compatriots will not resort to such tactics. "I don't think Pakistani people will do that," Sarfaraz told reporters on Tuesday. "Pakistani people love cricket, they love to support and they love the players." A large number of Indian fans chanted "cheater" at Smith, who back in action following a year-long ball for his role in the ball-tampering scandal that rocked Australia during their tour of South Africa in 2018.

India captain Virat Kohli gestured in an effort to quiet the crowd and later apologised to Smith. Meanwhile, Sarfaraz vowed Pakistan will put their 5-0 whitewash by Australia in March behind them. "I think that thing is gone, it's past," said Sarfaraz of the series in which he and six other top players were rested by Pakistan.

"We're not thinking about that. Actually we are thinking about tomorrow's game. So our morale is very high and we will do our best." Sarfaraz refused to be drawn on whether Australia will be troubled by the absence of all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, who has been ruled out with a side strain.

Australia have summoned another all-rounder Mitchell Marsh as potential cover for Stoinis. "I am not thinking about them, what they are thinking at the moment. I am thinking about my team, so we'll make good planning against them," Sarfaraz said. Pakistan were left frustrated after their match against Sri Lanka was washed out at Bristol on Friday, leaving them to share a point.

Before that, Pakistan had brought their campaign back on track with a surprise 14-run win against tournament favourites England, after a poor defeat at the hands of the West Indies. With bad weather forecast for Taunton on Wednesday, Sarfaraz said his team are ready for a shortened match. "Firstly, we can't control the weather. It's same for both teams. But if the match is short, definitely the planning is a change one," he said.

Earlier, Virat Kohli had won hearts with his golden gesture of telling Indian fans not to boo Steve Smith during India's match vs Australia.

In the post-match press conference, Virat Kohli had said it is not right to target an individual when he is down, backing Steve Smith who makes his return to the Australian team after serving a one year ban for ball tampering.

With inputs from AFP

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates