South Africa ready to attack over sandpapergate - but only if Australia provoke them, of course

South Africa’s Imran Tahir has warned that his side will be ready to fight fire with fire if Australia engage in a war of words when the two sides meet for the first time since the Newlands scandal.

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South African players will return serve with a barrage of sandpaper sledges directed at Steve Smith and David Warner if they are baited during the World Cup’s final group match.

Australian coach Justin Langer wants his team to “take all the emotion out of it”, but tearaway Kagiso Rabada bowling to Warner at the start of the Australian innings could set the stage for a fiery contest.

While the ball-tampering saga in Cape Town last year rocked Australian cricket, several previous spot fires in that unsavoury Test series already had the nations simmering with tension.

David Warner’s ugly confrontation with Quinton De Kock was one of many incidents that marred the last test series between the two sides.

Rabada’s two-match suspension for bumping Smith during a screaming send-off was overturned on appeal, while Warner was fined about $13,5000 (75 per cent of match fee) for a stairway stoush with keeper Quinten de Kok.

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That tension then exploded during sandpaper-gate and Smith and Warner will confront most of that South African team for the first time since Cape Town on Saturday night.

“If it’s (sledging) coming from them, then we won’t be holding back,” retiring South African spinner Imran Tahir said.

Imran Tahir says the proteas won’t get involved with sledging - unless Australia start something.

“It depends who starts it first. I really hope it’s going to be a good game.”

Tahir said while the South Africans were unlikely to provoke Smith and Warner, they had not yet discussed how to attack the match due to players being given the past two days off.

“It’s been over, they had their punishment and they’ve come back and they’re very good players – they’re world-beaters,” he said.

“Personally I have a lot of respect for that. We all make mistakes – I probably made mistakes in my life at some stage.

“Looking at them from that (cheating) point of view is not fair. That’s at the back of everyone’s mind. At the moment, no, we haven’t thought about it.”

Australian coach Justin Langer said Smith and Warner wouldn’t be nervous about facing their foes, led by South African skipper Faf du Plessis.

The World Cup clash will be the first time Australia and South Africa have met since sandpapergate.

“They got a good taste of what they were going to expect from the moment we turned up in England,” he said.

“This game is significant for a lot of our players, but we’ve just got to take all the emotion out of it

“We’re here to get two points, we’re here to beat them on skill, we’ve done it really well throughout the tournament.

“There’s no difference between South Africa or England or West Indies. For those guys this is just another exciting game of World Cup cricket.

“They’re cherishing playing cricket for Australia again.”

Tahir conceded it was “tough” to maintain motivation after the Proteas were eliminated from the World Cup after a disastrous 1-5 start.