Less than a week after Marcus Stoinis was fined AUD 7,500 for a “homophobic slur” against Kane Richardson during the Melbourne Derby of the Big Bash League, the duo has been training together ahead of Australia’s ODI series in India.
Two days before the series-opener, Richardson, the pacer, said he and Stoinis have buried the spat. “Yeah, a little WhatsApp the morning after, but not a whole lot of conversation about it. He realised he made a mistake. I could just tell by his body language for the rest of his innings that night that he knew he made a mistake,” Richardson said ahead of Australia’s training at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
“I didn't need an apology for myself, he didn't offend me. It's what he said that offended so many people. It was more just his actions and everyone's actions, we can't afford to have that happen again.”
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Cricket Australia acted immediately after Stoinis was found to be guilty of breaching the code of conduct. The allrounder promptly issued a public apology.
Richardson, who was a part of Australia’s World Cup squad last year, was hoping to get game-time in what he referred to as the toughest test for a bowler in white-ball cricket.
“It's the biggest challenge in white-ball cricket, coming over here and playing against India on the surfaces over here. It’s a lot different than Australia. The ground sizes are a lot smaller than Australia, mis-hits can often go for six,” Richardson said.
“It’s something we have spoken a lot about. I think everyone in the team has played here before, so it’s nothing new. Starting today we will figure out a plan to stop some of those guys. It will be a high-scoring contest I’m sure.”
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