The Ashes starts in Perth on Friday as the phoney war of pre-series jibes is parked and the on-field action takes centre stage.
That is not to say the phoney war of pre-series jibes has not been entertaining. Far from it. Ex-players and, chiefly, the West Australian newspaper have dropped some absolute crackers.
So, ahead of the serious business at Optus Stadium, let’s look at the cheekiness. Digs, mischievous headlines, surfboard references, whitewash predictions and more…
Former Australia opener David Warner was first to pipe up (how unlike him…), doing so even before England’s home summer assignment against India was complete.
Warner said Joe Root would need to „take the surfboard off his front leg”, meaning his front pad, in his quest for a first Ashes century away from home, saying Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood „tends to have his number quite a lot”.
As you can imagine, Warner’s long-time Ashes rival Stuart Broad could not let this lie, swiftly taking to social media to remind his old sparring partner that Hazlewood had only pinned Root lbw three times in Test cricket, among 10 overall dismissals.
Rekord Joe Roota w meczach o Ashes w Australii do tej pory
- Serie: 3
- Mecze: 14
- Obręby: 27
- Łączna liczba punktów: 892
- Średnia: 35,68
- Najwyższy wynik: 89 (Brisbane, grudzień 2021)
- Najnowszy wynik: 11 (Hobart, styczeń 2022)
- Setki: 0
- Półsetki: 9
- Kaczki: 2
Unfortunately, the resumption of that Root-Hazlewood battle will have to wait…
’Zwykły Joe’ z Północy na jasku”; Stokes 'zarozumiały skarżysz”
Plastyczny dowcip Warrena skomentowała gazeta The West Australian, nazywając dziennikarza angielskiego, wylądowanego w Australii, „Zwykłym Joe” i „przeciętnym pod Wzgórz”.
