Stuart Broad and David Warner’s rivalry has moved from the middle to the media with the pair trading barbs before the Ashes this winter.
Asked on Monday which team’s approach would come out on top, Warner said: “The Australian way, because we’re playing for the Ashes and they’re playing for a moral victory.”
Advertisement
That was a reference to the 2023 series, when England players such as Harry Brook joked they had won the “moral Ashes” after a washout at Old Trafford denied them a shot at victory.
Warner, 38, also predicted a 4-0 victory for Australia if Pat Cummins, the captain, recovers from a back injury in time for the first Test. Cummins admits, however, that this is “less than likely”.
Presented with Warner’s comments on his For The Love Of Cricket podcast, Broad, 39, said: “The question really was which team’s under the most pressure? Well, Australia are under the most pressure because they’re expected to win. They’re brilliant at home.
Advertisement
Broad suggested, however, that the hosts are at a low ebb.
“They’ve got question marks over their team and question marks over the captain [Pat Cummins]…It’s probably the worst Australian team since 2010 when England last won. And it’s the best English team since 2010. So it’s going to be a brilliant Ashes series,” he said.
“Australia have been so consistent for a long period of time that you just knew who was going to open the batting, who was going to bat, what bowlers there were. And they don’t have that. And it’s very much a similar situation to 2010-11 when England went and won there.
Advertisement
“Australia generally have to be bad to lose in Australia and England have to be very good. England have a great chance of being very good and Australia have a decent chance of being bad.”
‘I want to see bantering on field, but leave Stokes out of it’
The most recent Ashes series was Broad and Warner’s last, ending a great new-ball rivalry. Broad dismissed Warner 17 times in Test cricket. That is six occasions more than any other bowler dismissed Warner, and six occasions more than any batsman Broad dismissed.
Advertisement
This time, both men will be watching from the media centre, with Warner working for Australian broadcaster Fox, and Broad for their rivals Seven.
Broad celebrates dismissing Warner at Edgbaston in June 2023 (above) and in Sydney January 2022 (below) – Reuters/Andrew Couldridge
PA/Jason O’Brien
The 2023 series, especially Alex Carey’s infamous stumping of Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s, increased the Ashes rivalry, which is approaching 150 years of age. Warner, an arch-sledger in his pomp, called on Australia to go after the English verbally – except their captain Stokes.
“If we can sort of not poke that bear and get him up and about, I think that will help the Australians enormously,” Warner said. “I do want to see some bantering out on the field and I want to see them going at each other a little bit – obviously not at Stokes –because that is what creates that energy and involvement in the game.”
Advertisement
Warner tipped England to win one Ashes Test match if Pat Cummins misses out due to injury – Getty Images /Jason McCawley
England begin to arrive in Australia
The first raft of English players has already left home, with Brook’s T20 side preparing in Queenstown for a series against New Zealand that begins on Saturday. Among the group is Brydon Carse, the Durham fast bowler who has been training with Stokes and Mark Wood in recent weeks as they recover from injury.
Besides the fitness of their fast bowlers, the one question over England’s side is whether the greenhorn Jacob Bethell or the incumbent Ollie Pope will bat No 3. Bethell will have a chance to lay a marker down in the white-ball formats in New Zealand, but says he has been told “nothing” about whether he will start the series or not.
Advertisement
“I’m actually not very happy with the summer I had,” Bethell said. “But it’s something that has kind of lit a fire in me, I’m looking to build on that.
“Me and Popey get on great. I wouldn’t really call it a rivalry – there’s a lot of talk of outside noise, but it doesn’t really filter into the camp. We practise really well together. He’s obviously in contention for that No 3 spot. He’s got that spot and he’s done unbelievably well.”
Article courtesy of
Source link
