Brendon McCullum's legacy continues to loom large, with South Africa invoking it as they prepare to renew an oft-heated rivalry with Australia.
Relations between the two sides were incredibly tense during Australia's most recent visit to the Republic, in 2014.
South Africa opted against sharing a customary beer in the rooms after that Test series, during which David Warner was fined for essentially accusing AB de Villiers of ball tampering in a radio interview.
Faf du Plessis likened the tourists to a "pack of dogs" after they hounded him for picking up the ball while batting in Cape Town.
Australia responded by barking at du Plessis and taunting him about a ball-tampering charge, while there was also an angry confrontation between Michael Clarke and Dale Steyn.
"They've always been aggressive. I haven't played a game against them when that hasn't been the case," du Plessis noted in Durban.
Asked about Australia's conduct on the eve of a three-match Twenty20 series, du Plessis hailed McCullum as a role model.
New Zealand's skipper retired after the recent trans-Tasman series, having earned widespread acclaim for his commitment to the spirit of cricket.
"You can call him a pioneer," du Plessis said.
"He plays the game in the right way ... other nations see you can play the game of cricket in that spirit and you don't have to be super aggressive or calling someone names.
"You can enjoy cricket just as much and the games will still be as competitive.
"That's the way we like to play our cricket. It's not like we try to be super, super nice guys but we want to play the game in the right way."
Steve Smith was fined for dissent during Australia's most recent match, McCullum's swansong in Christchurch.
But McCullum praised Smith after that match, suggesting Australia were more respectful and less hostile under the 26-year-old's leadership.
"We'll have to see how they react in this series if it's any different or not," Proteas' T20 captain du Plessis said.
Smith, who vowed to set a better example as captain after his recent $4,635 fine, opined that relations between the two sides were great.
"We're always tough competitors against each other and tough rivals," Smith said.
"I'm sure we're going to see a lo of that over the next week."
The T20 series starts at 3am AEDT on Saturday in Durban, with matches in Johannesburg and Cape Town to follow.
Share
