Crisis plan: Cricket Australia briefs PR gurus as hostile England looms

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Crisis plan: Cricket Australia briefs PR gurus as hostile England looms

By Andrew Wu

Cricket Australia is meeting with several UK-based PR agencies as part of a contingency plan to deal with the local media storm awaiting Steve Smith and David Warner's return to the international scene.

The governing body is bracing for a turbulent reception from the English press in the coming months as the national men's team aims to defend both the World Cup and the Ashes on foreign soil.

Comebacks: Cricket Australia is expecting a turbulent few months in England as  Steve Smith and David Warner return.

Comebacks: Cricket Australia is expecting a turbulent few months in England as Steve Smith and David Warner return.Credit: AAP

CA's head of public affairs, Karina Keisler, is flying to London this week to meet with boutique and larger PR firms, including Hill+Knowlton Strategies. Head office wants to give team management access to public relations experts with contacts in the UK media who they can turn to during the anticipated backlash.

Australian teams have traditionally been the target of derision on Ashes tours, from English press and fans, but there is an added edge this year after the ball tampering scandal in South Africa, which resulted in Smith and Warner being handed 12-month bans.

The Barmy Army has already pledged to try and get under the skin of Justin Langer's men. They recently released photoshopped images of the Australian team in their World Cup strip, replacing "Australia" with "cheats" on Warner's shirt.

I hate cheating and that is what they did, they cheated.

Ian Botham

Foster's, which is marketed as an Australian beer and owned by South African and British conglomerate SABMiller, has released a commercial in which an Australian applies sandpaper to a cricket ball.

Fans were handed cards labelled "4" and "6" made of "Australian ball-tampering grade sandpaper" at a one-day international at The Oval last year, which prompted former coach Darren Lehmann to hit out on social media.

In 2005, lurid details of Shane Warne's partying personal life found its way into the local tabloids. He addressed an incident in his book last year, conceding he had not been in a fit state for a day of the Trent Bridge Test which Australia lost by three wickets.

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Langer said last month after their series win against Pakistan that the team was drawing up strategies to deal with the vitriol they expected to come from English fans and media.

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The Australians were given a hostile reception in South Africa last year, with Warner copping the brunt of the sledging from fans.

While England spinner Moeen Ali has called for local fans to treat the Australians with respect, former great Ian Botham has warned Smith and Warner, who are due to play their first official match for Australia on Saturday week, to prepare for abuse from local crowds.

"I hate cheating and that is what they did, they cheated," Botham said.

"One of the players [Cameron Bancroft] captains my county (Durham) and I'll have to show him that Foster's advert where the Aussie lads are taking phone calls for advice while rubbing a ball with sandpaper.

"The Barmy Army have already done about eight or nine songs. I think David Warner might feature a fair bit in those."

Botham fired an early Ashes barb, declaring that England would regain the urn with a whitewash.

"I would say 5-0 ... for Glenn McGrath I’d say 6-0 even though there are only five games,” Botham said.

"I think England will win because they have a home advantage and I think the Australian boys will be copping it a fair bit."

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