The defending World Champions, Australia are on a hot run of one-day form and have been boosted by the recent return of Steve Smith and David Warner after their one-year bans for ball-tampering. However, a trip to England is never easy, and the visit for the World Cup -- followed by an Ashes Test series -- is shaping up to be even more challenging.


England's fiery Barmy Army supporters rarely need much incentive to get stuck into their arch-rivals and got the ball rolling on Twitter Thursday with a brutal pot shot.

In a taste of what to expect from British crowds, they doctored an image of Warner's official World Cup player portrait, replacing 'Australia' on the front of his shirt with 'Cheats'. They also photo-shopped Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon holding sandpaper.

Here’s the post:

Reacting to this episode, Aussie head coach Justin Langer said his team won't be rattled by a hostile reception at the World Cup as England's Barmy Army gave them a taste of what to expect.

“We're ready for it,” Langer told SEN sports radio late Thursday.

“If we're under siege the second we get off the plane, we're ready for it. The World Cup might be a bit different to start off, but certainly, once the Ashes kicks off there will be plenty of commentaries.”

Warner returned to the Australian team this week after prolific form at the Indian Premier League, while Smith stroked an unbeaten 89 in Brisbane against a New Zealand XI on Wednesday.

Langer said Warner ‘has got this look in his eye at the moment’, while praising Smith's innings as a ‘tutorial in batting’.

“It's great for the team,” he added. “I can honestly say I don't think we could be in a better position. It's a bit like facing fast bowling, you worry, worry, worry and once you get out in the middle, and it’s ok. The worst time to face fast bowling is in bed the night before. There's been a huge lead-up to this (Smith and Warner's return) and the boys have come in so far quite seamlessly,” Langer said.