English all-rounder Moeen Ali has urged fans attending the upcoming World Cup to treat Australian duo of Steve Smith and David Warner with respect and abstain from making personal remarks.
Both Smith and Warner will be returning to high-intensity action at the showpiece event after serving one-year bans for their respective roles in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa last year.
“I really hope they don't get too much stick. I want them to enjoy the series. If you have to, keep it funny, not personal,” Ali told The Guardian.
“We all make mistakes. We are human beings and we have feelings. I know deep down they are probably really good people. I just hope they get treated decently. I just want the cricket to be spoken about,” he added.
Ali's comments comes shortly after Australia coach Justin Langer had said Smith and Warner would require sensitive monitoring to ensure that the duo remain comfortable over the coming months.
“What we've got to understand is that they're human beings as well. There's not too many I've met in my life who like being booed or heckled or disliked so they're human beings,” Langer had said.
Both men have been in top form and were instrumental in their teams performance in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL).
Warner walked away with the Orange Cap after being the leading scorer as he amassed 692 runs in 12 innings for Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Smith was named captain of Rajasthan Royals after Ajinkya Rahane was stripped off of the position midway through the tournament.
The former Australian skipper scored 319 runs from 10 matches.