The much-awaited Ashes is still more than a month away but the mind games have begun as former Australia opener David Warner has taken a subtle dig at England's Bazball approach in the longest format of the game. He also believes that Australia will win the Ashes comfortably and the win margin in the series will depend on captain Pat Cummins' availability. However, Warner also feels that England might end up winning the first Test if Cummins misses it due to injury.
Coming back to his dig at England, the southpaw stated that Ben Stokes and his men play for 'moral victory' and Australia play to actually win the Ashes. Warner's comments are emerging from the previous Ashes series when England levelled the series 2-2 at home after losing the first two matches. Many had claimed then that it was indeed a 'moral victory' for England to make such a huge comeback after being 0-2 down in the series.
"The Australian way will prevail because we're playing for the Ashes and they're playing for a moral victory. There's your headline," Warner said with a wry smile while speaking at Kayo Sports and Fox Sports' Summer of Cricket launch in Parramatta on October 13.
Australia sweating on Pat Cummins' injury
Meanwhile, Australia are sweating on their captain Pat Cummins' injury who has been recovering from back injury since the West Indies tour. For now, it seems unlikely that he will play the first Test and this is why Warner believes England have a chance to win the opening game. When asked to predict the final scoreline of Ashes, the southpaw predicted 4-0 or 3-1 win for Australia depending on Cummins' availability.
"I'll just stick with 4-0. There's going to be a washout somewhere, it's generally Sydney. 4-0 it will be. It is going to be a great series. All dependent on captain Pat Cummins. If the captain doesn't play, they might win one game. If Cummins is there, 4-0. If not, they probably win one game only," Warner added.
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