Brisbane: The war of words that has added spice to the lead-up to cricket’s oldest enduring Test series will give way to genuine hostilities here Thursday when bitter Ashes rivals Australia and England march out in front of a packed crowd at the Gabba.
A temporary ceasefire was called Wednesday as Australia captain Steve Smith and his England counterpart Joe Root paused for photos with the Ashes urn under a blinding blue sky at the Brisbane stadium, but both captains have been looking to land a psychological blow on the eve of the first test.
The customary photo opportunity may have been the only chance to get a clear image from the entire day, with smoke and mirrors employed liberally by the captains during the pre-match media conferences.
While Root steadfastly declined to name his team, Smith threw a curve-ball by saying David Warner, his vice-captain, opener and best batsman, remained in doubt for the Test as he battles to recover from a neck strain.
Whether bluff or brewing crisis, Root was having none of it and said it would do nothing to change his team’s preparations. Having taken one on the chin for England after a clash with Warner at a Birmingham bar in 2013, Root has gladly stuck it out again on the tour Down Under.
Yet as calmly as he praised his players for refusing to rise to Australia’s bait, his voice strayed briefly from its dependable monotone as he chided the home side’s spinner Nathan Lyon for an attack on the team.
“That’s not how I’d want my players to go about things but that’s up to him to come out and say that,” Root said in response, a hint of a frown crossing the 26-year-old’s face. “I think it’s slightly out of character. I know Nathan from playing club cricket but it doesn’t seem very real.”
The threat from Australia’s pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood on a juicy Gabba deck is very real, however. And Smith termed the trio nastier than ever.
“It has been exciting watching them in the nets,” Smith said of Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood. “(Compared) to 2013-14 when Mitchell was bowling in the nets, these guys are just as nasty, if not more nasty to be perfectly honest,” he added.