To boo or not to boo? That is the question.
Whether it is David Warner or Steve Smith, England skipper Eoin Morgan has told fans to do what they want.
And in a deft exhibition of understatement, Morgan has warned Australia's ball-tampering duo that they shouldn’t expect to be welcomed back into the cricketing fold at its HQ with open arms when they face the tournament hosts in a World Cup group game on Tuesday.
How could they be?
Yes, they have spent a lengthy 12 months out of the international game serving suspensions for premeditated cheating before returning for this tournament. But next to 142 years of sporting rivalry that is a mere blink of the eye and England fans have got every right to express how they feel from the stands of a packed Lord’s.
And when Morgan thought about whether or not to follow Justin Langer and Virat Kohli’s example of telling fans to go easy on them, he came to the only sensible decision he could.
“I would never use the position I’m in to influence fans or try to change the game in some way,” he said.
“You don’t know how sports fans are going to react. I think they are entitled to have their own view. Just because punishment was handed out and the two guys served their punishment doesn’t mean they are going to be accepted back into the cricket community straightaway with open arms.
“Regaining trust takes a lot of time. Who knows how long it will take. I don’t think I could do anything, or should do anything to try to influence the fans to change their mind.
“I didn’t see what Virat did but when I heard about it I thought about it for quite a while. I thought about ‘Would it help in the right way? Is it right?’ - but it didn’t sit right with me.”
In any case, Morgan most definitely comes from a school where the only thing that matters is how the players on the pitch perform and, just like he would, he expects Warner and Smith to be able to block out the noise and play what’s in front of them.
And that is where England’s challenge lies.
They cruised to a 5-0 home series win over an Aussie side last summer without either their disgraced batting pair, or Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins. But they are coming off the back of a dispiriting defeat to Sri Lanka, with every game now bringing extra pressure until they qualify for the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Australia find themselves in a tournament that they have won in four out of the last five editions, Warner and Aaron Finch are two of its top four scorers and Starc is the joint highest wicket taker.
“I’m expecting a strong performance, particularly from David because he’s been in fantastic form,” added Morgan. “Australia are playing some strong cricket and we’re prepared for their A-game. It is a matter of countering that, then hopefully getting on top.
“One reason we tend to bounce back well is that we go back to the principle: ‘What are we strong at?’ Going back to emphasising our strengths for long periods of time. Our strengths with the bat have been being aggressive, positive, but playing smart cricket along the way. With the ball it’s continuously trying to take wickets. If we can retain that mindset tomorrow, we’ll be in a good place.”
PROBABLE TEAMS
ENGLAND Bairstow, Vince, Root, Morgan (captain), Stokes, Buttler (wicketkeeper), Moeen, Woakes, Rashid, Wood, Archer.
AUSTRALIA Finch (captain), Warner, Khawaja, Smith, Maxwell, Stoinis, Carey (wicketkeeper), Cummins, Coulter-Nile, Starc, Zampa.
Umpires: Chris Gaffaney and S Ravi. TV Umpire: Kumar Dharmasena.