David Warner hits back at England’s Stuart Broad over Ashes jabs

David Warner has had a crack of his own at England’s Stuart Broad after a war of words erupted ahead of the Ashes.

David Warner has ripped into Stuart Broad, as a war of words erupts between the two camps ahead of the highly-anticipated Ashes series.

With Broad claiming that the last Ashes series, which England lost 4-0, was “void” courtesy of quarantine restrictions, the Australians have bit back with barbs of their own for the 36-year-old veteran.

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Broad, who is currently fifth on the all-time list of Test wicket-takers on 581, has tormented Australia alongside fellow pace great — and third on the all-time wicket-takers list on 685 — Jimmy Anderson.

And he’s enjoyed bowling to David Warner most, snaring the Aussie opener 14 times in Test cricket.

But Warner said he’s not worried about the 36-year-old Broad.

“He’s got to get selected first,” Warner told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“I don’t really have any plans, to be honest, so if he gets selected, then I’ll adjust when I’m out there.

“Hopefully, this time around I can come out and look to score and play in a positive way.”

Stuart Broad dominated David Warner in the last Ashes. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Warner was dismissed by Broad seven times in 10 innings in a historic demolition rarely ever seen on an individual scale during the 2019 Ashes, with Warner only once passing 11.

The Australians still managed to retain the Ashes in England for the first time since 2001, and proceeded to win the ensuing home series 4-0, which Broad proceeded to dismiss in a recent interview with the Daily Mail.

“Nothing was harsher than the last Ashes series,” Broad said.

“But in my mind I don’t class that as a real Ashes.

“Nothing about that series was high-level performance because of the Covid restrictions. The training facilities, the travel, not being able to socialise. I’ve written it off as a void series.”

Broad’s remarks were targeted by Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who took 19 wickets at 25.37 in that series.

“The funniest thing out of that was they called it quarantine on the Gold Coast,” Starc said.

“I did seven of them. That was the easiest by a country mile.

The Poms had the pool, the gym, they were in a resort on the Gold Coast, they trained at Metricon, weren’t confined to their rooms and had their families there.

“Was that really quarantine? They were still allowed to play golf on tour. Is that an excuse for 4-0? Dunno.”

Broad’s remarks were even made light of by his partner-in-crime Anderson.

“That’s his way of coping with it. That is his coping strategy,” Anderson said.

“I get his point with the Covid stuff. But for me, I’ve voided the last three away from home. Four out of five, I think.”

David Warner has spent the last month playing for Delhi in the IPL. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)

The series shapes as a reckoning for the under-fire Warner, who after his horror series in 2019, faces an uphill battle to justify his position at the top of the order, not consolidated over the home summer just gone despite a double-century in Melbourne against South Africa.

“I’m picked here for a series to play cricket,” Warner told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“No one has spoken to me about any situation. I’m just here as an opening batter to continue my decade-long career.”

That summer also involved Warner being put through an extended process by Cricket Australia as the lifting of his captaincy ban was contemplated.

“It was ridiculous,” Warner said.

“I wanted to put it to bed and they kept on just dragging it out and not giving answers. No one wanted to be accountable, no one wanted to make a decision. You have an administration where there seemed to be a lack of leadership.

“They could have nipped it in the bud straight away, but I’m getting a phone call day one, two, three of the Test matches and speaking to lawyers etc when I didn’t need to.

“I actually felt disrespected in the way that I wasn’t able to actually have a clear mind to play the game and concentrate on the game.”

Originally published as David Warner hits back at England’s Stuart Broad over Ashes jabs