Steve Smith described the taunts he received from England fans as "water off a duck's back" after making a match-winning century in Australia's 12-run World Cup warm-up victory.
Smith and David Warner were facing their fiercest rivals for the first time since returning from year-long ball-tampering bans and, as expected, were not allowed to forget their roles in the sandpaper scandal.
Both batsmen were booed on their way to the crease at the Ageas Bowl and subjected to sporadic chants of "cheat, cheat, cheat" from sections of the crowd, an experience they can probably expect in varying degrees throughout the competition and the Ashes series which follows.
"If I can make them proud and make Australians proud as much as I can, that's my job."
England's stand-in captain Jos Buttler was suitably impressed by Smith's efforts in the middle.
"He's the same player. He was a class player 12 months ago and he still is. He hasn't forgotten. He's one of the world's best batsmen."
As for the subject of sledging, the mild-mannered and soft-spoken Buttler said: "I don't think any of our guys get that stuck in. The guys just get on with playing cricket."
