Drop friendly image and get ‘nasty’: Warne to Aussies

Melbourne: Spin legend Shane Warne has asked Australia to shrug off their friendly approach and pump up the heat against England by sledging and getting “nasty” if they want to avoid another Ashes loss.

Warne feels Australian pacers have lost the edge in the third Test against England and they should step up the aggression and bombard the hosts with verbal volleys.

“I think the Australians are lacking aggression, a bit of in your face, a snarl, some nasty stuff,” Warne was quoted as saying.

“I just want to see them get a bit more aggressive, it’s all a bit too friendly. They don’t seem to want to be saying anything to the batsmen, getting in their face or pumping their chests out,” he said.

Warne said Australians were at their best when they were “in face of their opposition” and observed that in the ongoing Ashes England bowlers were hostile instead of inexperienced cricketers from Down Under.

“Australian teams play at their best when they are in the face of their opposition. But these inexperienced cricketers don’t know when to do that. Onions and Anderson bowled with a long stare, a hostile spell, and there was aggression. There hasn’t been that from Australia,” he added.

Australia crumbled on the second day of the Ashes, losing 77-7 in the first session, thanks to an aggressive bowling by England quicks James Anderson (5-80) and Graham Onions (4-58), who eventually shot out the visitors for 263.

“When Peter Siddle is at his best he has got that snarl, but I haven’t really seen that from him. It’s just weird to me. The best way for Mitchell Johnson to find his confidence is to get really nasty,” Warne said.

Cricket Australia had asked its players to avoid sledging and play the game in the right spirit during the Ashes and Warne felt the CA was just worried about its after-effect.

“I did read some reports from Cricket Australia saying that we don’t want any sledging, we want to play in the right spirit, all those sorts of things. Maybe they are worried about the repercussions,” Warne said.

Bureau Report