David Warner mellows down "war" statement following backlash from ex-England players

Australian batting mainstay, David Warner invoked severe criticism from several former England players, following his likening of the Ashes to “war”. Warner admitted to having exaggerated his stance, while maintaining that a competitive attitude was needed to fire up the series.

The Ashes is slated to begin on November, 23 at Brisbane.While it was Mitchell Johnson had troubled the English batsmen with his amped up pace and aggression, Warner hopes that this time around, the role will be carried out by the pace duo of Mitchell Starc-Pat Cummins. He related that the Australians, themselves, feel intimidated at the nets sessions by the feisty bowling of the pair and he expects a similar reaction from England. He also conceded that he expects a hostile Ashes, in order to fuel the healthy competition between the two sides.

David Warner believes in creating a “buzz” before the match

Speaking on ABC Radio, Warner had said, “The history, the pride that is at stake. As soon as you step on that line it’s war. 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.”

This statement generated flak from several former England players, who condemned the sensationalising of the revered tournament. Admitting to having gone overboard with his comments, Warner said on Channel Nine‘s Sports Sunday on October 22, “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.

You’ve got to create a bit of that buzz out there.”Warner further stressed on adopting a mellowed-down attitude towards on-field aggression, owing to the ICC’s recent stringent measures on verbal alterations. “The subtle approach these days is how it goes. Look at the Indian series we played (earlier this year), it can get under your skin quite quickly, and the heat gets to everyone,” he said.