'It doesn’t need to cross the line' - Michael Clarke advises South Africa to mock David Warner over sandpapergate incident

Michael Clarke, a former Australian captain, has urged South Africa to make a mockery of David Warner during the upcoming Test series. Given the circumstances of the "sandpapergate" incident, the 41-year-old believes it will be valid as long as they don't cross the line and overdo it. The two teams are set to lock horns for a three-match Test series starting December 17, Saturday.

This will be the first time since March 2018 that Steve Smith and David Warner play against South Africa. The incident led to a 12-month suspension for the two players as they were proven guilty following the ball-tampering investigation. Though Smith has been in good touch in the red-ball games, David Warner’s recent outings have been poor and this will be a test for him.

Speaking on The Big Sports Breakfast on Sky Sports' radio, Clarke stated that he wouldn't be amazed to see the Proteas "have a crack" at the sensational opener. He clarified, though, that the verbal jibes might help Warner give a befitting reply, with his bat.

“Their approach to any player that was involved in that ‘Sandpapergate,’ they’ve got it mate. It doesn’t need to cross the line, but you can make it very clear to someone like David Warner that the Australian fans are off him. I want to see Davey Warner, if they have a crack at him on the field while he’s batting, go back to being that bulldog and give it back to them, Davey,” said Clarke.

Warner struggles on and off the field

Warner has experienced a difficult week, both on and off the field. The off-field issues involve him abandoning his request to Cricket Australia to overturn the lifetime leadership ban after the independent panel requested a public hearing. The board later lambasted the seasoned opener for his remarks, believing he had misunderstood the evaluation procedure.

Steve Smith, who led Australia in the second Test against West Indies in the absence of regular skipper Pat Cummins, criticized Warner's lifelong suspension. Given that Warner has served his term, Smith feels it is time to move forward.

“From my point of view, banning someone for life from leadership is just fundamentally wrong. David served his time like I did. It's been a difficult one for him, it's been a difficult week. He's got our full support. Hopefully he can have a really big series for us against South Africa with the bat,” Smith was quoted by cricket.com.au.