England fast bowler Liam Plunkett does “not feel sorry” for Australian cricket team as they are still facing the heat for the fall-out from the ball-tampering scandal that overshadowed their tour of South Africa. The former Australian skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner have been banned for a year for being the masterminds in the fiasco during the third Test in Cape Town in March, with batsman Cameron Bancroft, who applied sandpaper to the ball received a suspension of nine months. 

There were concerns that Australia, under the leadership of new skipper Tim Paine, might face the immense heat from England fans during the first ODI at The Oval on Wednesday. But, there were only handful of taunts audible among a capacity crowd as England won by three wickets to go 1-0 up in the five-match series.

Meanwhile, a company attempted to cash-in on the scandal by handing out branded sandpaper to spectators as they made their way into the ground had little effect. However, the Oval administrators seizing most of the ‘ambush marketing’ material. 

Cricket fans have not been slow to deliver Australia a lot of heat at the venues in the past and Plunkett feels that the visitors could have no complaint if they encountered more of the same in the second ODI as well.  He said, “I don’t feel sorry for them. You’re going to get it — it’s part of the sport. I’m sure it would be the same if someone on the England team had done that … you get plenty of stick when you go and play against Australia Down Under.”

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Liam also said that the Australian team under the leadership of Paine is good enough to cope with whatever came their way.