Warner begins Ashes war of words with ‘hate’ jibe
SYDNEY: David Warner has fired the first verbal volley of this winter’s muchanticipated Ashes Test series, saying the Aussies will use their “hatred” of England to help them reclaim the urn.
The first ball will not be bowled for another five weeks, but such is the rivalry between the two teams that hostilities usually break out early. And this time it is Warner who has bowled the first bouncer, describing the historic series as “war” and revealing his plans to get under the skin of the England players.
“As soon as you step on that line it’s war,” the opening batsman said.
“You try and get into a battle as quick as you can. I try and look in the opposition’s eye and try and work out ‘how can I dislike this player, how can I get on top of him?’
“You’ve really got to find that spark in yourself to really take it to the opposition.
“You have to delve and dig deep into yourself to actually get some hatred about them to actually get up when you’re out there. History is a big part in this and that is what carries us onto the ground.”
Warner is no stranger to dishing out pointed comments. While the 30 year old has mellowed in recent years he is still remembered for punching current England captain Joe Root before the 2013 Ashes clash and for comments made about Jonathan Trott during the series that followed in Australia later than year. He described the England batsman’s innings in Brisbane as “poor and weak” — just a few days later Trott left the tour suffering from a stress-related illness.
This time around, though, Warner insisted he will be more subtle in trying to annoy the English.
“Four years ago, during that first Test I made some statements in the media and at the time I thought it was a great thing to come out and speak what I said,” he said.
“I have no regrets about that and I think that could have played a little bit of a role in the back of their minds.
“At the moment I’m not going to put any vibes out there or get into a verbal (battle). But come day one when we walk out there, there will definitely be some words exchanged. But I think the subtle approach these days is how it is and how it goes.”