"One thing I respect about the Barmy Army, through thick and thin they always barrack for the England cricket team" - Langer © Getty

Australian coach Justin Langer has adviced the returning duo of David Warner and Steve Smith to hold themselves tight against the famed English fan club - Barmy Army - as Australia head for a long tour this English summer.

Starting with the World Cup, Australia will be playing England in the Ashes series. And with Warner and Smith returning to the side after their one-year ban for the ball-tampering scandal, they are expected to become targets of Barmy Army's of insults.

Taking cue from his experience, the 2002 Melbourne Test in specific, Langer recounted about dealing with nasty fans while he tried to stand up for his teammate Brett Lee after scoring a 250. "This is the biggest, probably, lesson of my sporting career," he said on Friday. "I just got 250 so I walked in, I think I'm Viv Richards, I feel like I've got the gold chain and the chest out and like I'm the king... and I made one comment about the Barmy Army because I was sticking up for Brett Lee. Then they start singing the song about the seven dwarfs, so you don't mess with the Barmy Army. I'm not messing with the Barmy Army."

However, he praised the fans for standing with their team even during tough times and adviced his side against messing with them. "One thing I respect about the Barmy Army, through thick and thin they always barrack for the England cricket team. We're never going to be best friends but... I'll never argue with the Barmy Army again. The songs are humiliating.

"I think there's going to be plenty of spotlight on the whole team. The boys are big boys now, they've worked through a real tough 12 months, they'll be thicker skinned for it. There's no real remedy for it, we know what we're going to get, we'll be ready for it. There will be some strategies, personal and collective strategies in place so together we're moving in the right direction and going on with what we love doing which is playing cricket and World Cup and Ashes cricket - it doesn't get much better than that."

Warner and Smith, returning from their IPL stints, joined the Australian squad in Brisbane for the World Cup preparation. Speaking about their return, Langer said, "There's no tension, honestly. We're so excited to have the boys back, we're just so excited about playing cricket," Langer said.

"It's been a big build-up to it. It's a bit like facing fast bowling, isn't it? You worry about it until you get out there and it's not as bad as you thought it was."