South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher says his team's recent tour to Australia was marred by racist taunts and that he had lost respect for his opponents, according to an Associated Press (AP) report today.
Australia won the three-test series 2-0, but is being investigated by the International Cricket Council over
the alleged abuse.
Fast bowler Andre Nel has said he was racially taunted in last month's third test in Sydney, while in Perth the previous month, Makhaya Ntini, Justin Prince, Garnett Kruger and Shaun Pollock claimed they were insulted by the crowd in Afrikaans.
Boucher said relations between the two sides were strained.
"Nasty things have been said," Boucher says in an interview published in The Wisden Cricketer magazine. "We did share a few beers after the test series. But a lot of guys' eyes, maybe on both sides, have been opened.
"The beers that are drunk may be just for the sake of it because that's the right thing to do. I'm not going to mention names, but I have lost respect for one or two of their players," Boucher has been reported as saying.
He said South African players had been racially taunted on previous tours to Australia, but that highlighting the problem would help inspire others to confront it, the AP report says.
"It's not the majority of the crowd," he said. "It's the guys who have had too much liquor. We understand it's difficult to control. But we've made our point."
South Africa hosts Australia for five one-day internationals and three tests starting February 26 and Boucher said he wants home fans to give the tourists "a bit of stick because we've taken a serious amount."
"In the past, our crowds haven't been too great with them but trust me, we're not going to sit back and say, 'shame, poor things'," Boucher said.
