Ian Bell, the former English batsman, has taken a dig at the Aussie side saying that they are trying to hide their nerves behind the war of words. David Warner, who is currently the vice-captain of the Australian side, asked his teammates to bring out the ‘inner hatred’ of the opposition who they will take on five-match Test series.
The left-handed batsman also said that “as soon as you step on that line, it’s a war,” although he regrets some of his words he used. The England side will be intimidated with bouncers as former Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson did four years back, said Mitchell Starc who will be leading Australia’s pace battery in this year’s Ashes.
“The Australians will be nervous, even though they like to give off the impression of being fearless. That’s a massive front. There will be more (pressure) on Australia losing at home than England losing away,” the English batsman said while talking to The Daily Mail ahead of the Ashes clash.
Bell further mentioned that this Australia team lacks depth and is far behind from being settled when they take the field for the series opener on November 23rd. Talking about the Australian team, the 35-yeard-old former cricketer said, apart from all the talks they are yet to finalize who will be their keeper and bowlers like Pat Cummins hasn’t played five test matches in a row. He also raised a question about other players who will make it into the squad apart from Steve Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood.
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Talking about a young English side, Bell said the people are not expecting much from this side, which will keep them out pressure and they can do their business quietly. Bell further feels that this English side has nothing to lose so they can play a fearless brand of cricket which was same in 2010-11 when Andrew Strauss led English side beat Australia 3-1 which he was a part.
Bell further admitted that it would be an advantage for the English batters as they will start the tour with a practice match in Western Australia as they can get used to with the bounce and the lengths bowlers try to bowl in Australia.
“It might hit high on the bat, to begin with, but it’s amazing how quickly you get used to it. If you can deal with the practice pitches at the WACA, you can cope anywhere in the country,” Bell signed off.