Australian cricket great Darren Lehmann has torched England cricket fans over their ongoing abuse of him and Steve Smith almost eight years after the infamous Sandpapergate scandal took place.
The shameful ball-tampering episode in Cape Town, South Africa cost Lehmann his position as coach of the national side.
It also left captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and rookie batter Cameron Bancroft forced out of the sport while they served lengthy bans.
All three players have done their time and returned to the Australia Test team at some stage, with Smith returning to a leadership role in 2021 and being appointed as the side's regular vice-captain.
Time is supposed to heal all wounds, but Lehmann said that doesn't apply to the England supporter base, sections of which have relentlessly abused him and Smith.
'In England they just don't forget. It is like they have never done anything wrong in their life,' Lehmann told the ABC after the first Test of the Ashes series.
Former Australia coach Darren Lehmann (pictured after the infamous Sandpapergate ball-tampering incident) resigned from his role
The Barmy Army (pictured at the first Ashes Test in Perth) have been reminding Smith of his involvement in the scandal ever since he returned to the game in 2019
The Aussie top-order batter has done his best to win back crowd support - but Lehmann says the Barmy Army will never forgive or forget
'It is only the ones that drink too much and carry on like pork chops.'
The former Australia coach has also revealed the toll the constant vitriol has taken on him mentally.
'It just borders on abuse, but we did the wrong thing, you've got to accept it', he said.
'It's not great for your mental health, to be completely honest ... the abuse you get is daily.'
Lehmann's comments come as Smith's captaincy nous helped leave England shellshocked after the first Test in Perth.
The stand-in captain made the decision to promote Travis Head to the top of the order for the second-innings run chase in a move that turned the match.
Head smashed 123 runs from 83 deliveries as he led Australia to a dominant eight-wicket victory inside two days.
Smith's record as the fill-in captain for Cummins now sees him undefeated after seven matches, with six victories and one draw.
Lehmann (pictured) said English fans treat him and Smith like 'they have never done anything wrong in their life'
Smith (right) and Cameron Bancroft (left) were rubbed out of playing Test cricket for a year and nine months respectively
The Barmy Army (pictured at the Perth Ashes Test) is one of cricket's most vocal fanbases
England suffered an almighty collapse and lost the Test within a matter of hours, after at one point leading the game by 99 runs with nine wickets in hand.
The deplorable showing has since drawn the ire of former players and legends of the side.
Former opening batter Geoffrey Boycott has slammed the side's performance, and claims he's lost faith in the team.
'I cannot take this stupid England team seriously anymore,' he wrote in The Telegraph.

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