Cricket: Ian Chappell has accused Steve Smith of 'white anting' his skipper Tim Paine during the Adelaide Test against Pakistan. Is this the vision that's got the Former Test captain questioning Smith's behaviour?

Laughing is not a crime.

That’s the verdict of Australian cricket legends Jason Gillespie and Ryan Harris, who defended Pakistan star Iman-ul-Haq after a photo of him chuckling with Aussie coach Justin Langer after the recent Test in Adelaide emerged and sparked controversy on social media.

Australia had just completed a 2-0 sweep of the two-match series with another convincing innings victory in the South Australian capital and opening batsman Imam — who scored two runs for the match — was shown chatting to Langer before breaking out in laughter.

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The image didn’t sit well with Pakistan fans, many of whom took to Twitter to criticise the 23-year-old for not showing enough pain after his team had been flogged for the second match in a row.

It wasn’t just angry keyboard warriors chipping away though. Former Pakistan batsman Faisal Iqbal — who played 26 Tests and 18 one-day internationals — called the optics “shameful”.

“Shameful pic of Imam after failing as a batsman plus losing the Test series 2-0,” Iqbal wrote on Twitter in response to the photo.

Ex-Test fast bowler Gillespie, who was commentating for the ABC in Adelaide, hit back at those wanting to demonise Imam.

“Players on a losing side are disappointed no doubt,” Gillespie tweeted. “I thought it was fantastic that young Imam-ul-Haq was spending time with Justin Langer talking about the game.

“I’m sure the conversation was very worthwhile for both Imam and Justin.”

I was on the ground- I can assure you that their conversation happened after all the formalities were done. Pakistan supporters should be proud of one of their young batters for being proactive and seeking an opportunity to learn and improve from a former test opening batsman. https://t.co/b2ZUe25SRK — Jason Gillespie 🌱 (@dizzy259) December 3, 2019

Harris, who took 113 wickets in 27 Tests, was on Gillespie’s side.

“Well said big nose!!!!!” Harris wrote in response to Gillespie’s tweet defending Imam. “Seriously great to see the interaction between the two teams and totally agree with what @dizzy259 said!”

WARNER ON TRACK FOR RECORD RUN SPREE

David Warner is on track for the greatest Australian summer by an opener, with his average of 388 across all formats well above anything achieved before.

Warner’s demolition job on Pakistan in Adelaide took his international run-scoring tally for the summer of cricket to 776, after also blitzing the season-opening T20 series.

Matthew Hayden’s 1377 runs in 2003-04 is the most prolific by an opener in Australia, aided by what was then a world record score of 380 against Zimbabwe. Warner still has up to nine innings to chase that tally down, with three Tests against New Zealand and then a three-match one-day series in March.

Former England captain Alastair Cook’s record average of 127.66 from his dominant 2010-11 tour is also well in sight for Warner.

The Aussie left-hander could score ducks in his next four innings and still sit above that mark.

It’s all a far cry from the predicament Warner found himself in two months ago, desperately out of runs after averaging just 9.5 in the Ashes.

“I’ve had to regroup since coming back from England,” Warner said earlier this week.

“I have had to change the way I play. I hit probably 3500 or 4000 balls leading into Brisbane.

“And then (in Adelaide) I batted two-and-half hour sessions leading up as well.

“It’s not by chance I tightened that (defence) up. I worked really hard on that in the nets.

“I never doubted myself at all. I am a very confident person.”

Warner’s Adelaide Oval record of 335 not out was his third century of the summer, while he also has two scores of more than 50.

His form will be the last thing New Zealand wants to see after having grown tired of the opener’s runs in the past.

On its tour of Australia in 2015 Warner hit back-to-back centuries in Brisbane followed by a double-ton in Perth and has an average of 93.37 against the Kiwis at home.

However, the Black Caps should present something of a bigger challenge this time around, ranked No .2 in the world and with Trent Boult and Neil Wagner big threats with the ball.

Meanwhile, Steve Smith holds the record for the most runs in any position for an Australian summer, with his tally of 1647 for 2014-15 seemingly unreachable.

With Scott Bailey, AAP