Follow UsThe verbal barrage from both England and Australia has already started ahead of the upcoming Ashes series, with former Australian opener David Warner delivering a snarky remark aimed at England, saying that they might settle for a “moral victory” rather than an outright win.
Speaking to Fox Sports, Warner responded to comments made earlier by England batsman Zak Crawley, who had suggested that England’s “Bazball” style of play had unsettled Australia in prior contests, and the same can happen once again in the upcoming Ashes series in November.
Crawley claimed in the same interview that the psychological edge England tried to build in past series had indeed put pressure on the Australia side. Warner responded to this, saying England were going Down Under with hopes of claiming moral satisfaction rather than dominance on the field.
“They’re playing for a moral victory,” Warner said.
Additionally, Warner urged his side not to provoke England captain Ben Stokes too heavily, as he can retort back strongly with a performance that can put Australia on the back foot.
“He has evolved into a serious cricketer and a fine leader,” he said.
“I had the fortunate privilege to share a changeroom with him when he was younger and he has evolved into a serious cricketer and a fantastic leader,” he said. "If we can sort of not poke that bear and get him up and about, I think that will help the Australians enormously. But 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."
With tensions already mounting and media attention high, fans can expect the verbal battles to run alongside the on-field action when Australia and England clash in this much-anticipated series.