Australia vice-captain David Warner has admitted that while he regrets his comments over comparing the Ashes against England to “war”, he believes players should have a certain amount of “inward anger” while taking part in the series.
“The history, the pride that is at stake. As soon as you step on that line it’s war,” Warner had told radio station ABC a few days back when asked to describe what the series meant to him. “You try and get into a battle as quick as you can. I try and look in the opposition’s eye and work out how can I dislike this player, how can I get on top of him. You’ve got to find that spark in yourself to really take it to the opposition. You have to delve and dig deep into yourself to get some sort of hatred about them.”
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It drew criticism almost immediately with former English cricketers stating that the expression didn’t go down well with the spirit of the game. Former England opener Marcus Trescothick had led the charge against the usage stating: “To come out with those sort of comments is not needed. There’s always the hype that comes around before the Ashes, so I don’t think it’s something the players will be drawn into. I think it will just be a good distraction, hopefully, for Australia and they can get caught up in the war of words. I think it’s pathetic.”
{{/usCountry}}It drew criticism almost immediately with former English cricketers stating that the expression didn’t go down well with the spirit of the game. Former England opener Marcus Trescothick had led the charge against the usage stating: “To come out with those sort of comments is not needed. There’s always the hype that comes around before the Ashes, so I don’t think it’s something the players will be drawn into. I think it will just be a good distraction, hopefully, for Australia and they can get caught up in the war of words. I think it’s pathetic.”
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On Sunday, however, Warner retreated from his stand but only with a caveat. “I probably regret some of the words I used during the week, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to try and have some inward anger,” Warner told Channel Nine’s Sports Sunday. “You’ve got to create a bit of that buzz out there.”
The five-match series starts on November 23 and includes one on the Boxing Day as well. Warner reiterated it won’t be an easy task for England to face their bowlers and expected a tough series for both sides. “I can tell you now I’m very scared when it comes to the nets so hopefully they (England) are scared because it is challenging facing our guys.”