David Warner had the perfect response to fans after being verbally abused on his way to the field at Old Trafford on Friday.Warner has been plagued with such incidents ever since his involvement in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal – an incident which saw Warner and fellow Aussie Steve Smith sent home in disgrace and banned for 12 months as a result of their involvement.The scandal was ignited after batsman Cameron Bancroft was seen to use sandpaper on a ball during a Test match against South Africa.Captain Smith and vice-captain Warner were both found in the aftermath to have been involved in the decision making process and became the target for much of the outpouring of anger in the following months.Whilst both have returned to the sport since, hostility remains amongst opposition fans, with both players having been repeatedly targeted throughout both the 2019 World Cup, as well as the ongoing Ashes series.

During the first Test, Warner was greeted with chants of ‘sandpaper’ from the crowd, and fans have now taken it to a new level, targeting the player before he can even make it to the field.

In a video uploaded to Twitter, one fan can be heard to shout ‘Warner, you f***ing cheat!” as the players made their way down the stairs to the playing field.

Short of being taken aback or offended by the remark, however, Warner responded in spectacular fashion, turning to face the offenders and whooping in amusement.

Even the fan who had levelled the abuse saw the comedy of the moment, cheering and laughing in appreciation of the response.

Whilst Warner may slowly be winning – some! – fans back off the pitch, however, his performances on the pitch have left more than a little to be desired.

Appearing in his first Test series since the aforementioned scandal, the left-hander has averaged just 11.29 from his previous seven innings – a total of 79 runs.

His performances have shown no signs of improving either. Fast-bowler Stuart Broad has remained a thorn in the side of Warner for the entire Ashes so far, dismissing him an incredible five times - including in the first innings during Friday's fourth Test.

Smith, on the other hand, has returned with a vengeance ever since his own ban, becoming just the second man ever to register nine consecutive half centuries against a single opponent with his performance at Old Trafford – Pakistani legend Inzamam-ul-Haq remaining the only other player ever to do so.