David Warner has refuted rumours of a rift with former captain Steve Smith in the wake of the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, saying the banned Australian duo remain "good mates". Warner opened up about his relation with Smith after making a return to professional cricket in Canada's Global Twenty20 league.

"Steve and me are good mates. If people hang in the hotel, they'll see us hanging out with each other and stuff. At the end of the day, it was a big thing that happened and for us, you've got to handle it in your individual way and then how you handle it collectively," Warner said here. A day after Smith made 61 on his return to cricket in the same tournament, Warner was bowled by Lasith Malinga's second ball in a far briefer stint at the batting crease.