Nasser Hussain: "I think England will use the short ball against Warner. They'll also work on his ego a bit, trying to temp him into a false drive."
Sunday 19 November 2017 17:01, UK
Australia and England go head to head in the Ashes, starting on Thursday at The Gabba - but what are the key battles that will decide the fate of the urn this time around?
England hold the Ashes after their 3-2 win in 2015, but Joe Root's side face a tough test to retain the urn Down Under with Australia desperate to avenge that defeat.
With the help of Sky Sports Cricket's Nasser Hussain, we take a look at the head-to-head battles which could have a major say on the outcome of the series, and up next it's another top-order clash - David Warner versus James Anderson...
The Warner-Anderson battle commenced in the summer of 2013. Returning from a suspension for a fracas with Joe Root in a Birmingham bar, Warner returned to the side for the third Test of the series at Old Trafford. It was not until the final Test that Anderson made his mark against the Australia opener, who scored 71 in the second innings of the fourth Test, dismissing him twice for low scores at The Oval.
With back-to-back Ashes series taking place, Warner didn't have to wait long to hit back and he did just that, scoring 49 and 124 in the match at Brisbane. Things got better and better for Warner in the 2013/14 series as he scored 83 not out in Adelaide before racking up his second ton of the series with a score of 112 in Perth. With the Ashes gone, Anderson, who took just 14 wickets in the series, dismissed Warner in the first innings at the MCG and the second at the SCG, but with 523 runs to his name at an average of 58.11, it was a series to remember for Warner.
The battle continued in 2015 as England regained the Ashes on home soil and while Warner performed well again, Anderson had a bit more success against the left-hander. The Lancashire seamer picked Warner up in Cardiff and twice more in Birmingham to take his record against him to seven dismissals in 12 matches.
"Warner is the key wicket for England. Australia arguably have two great players in Warner and Steve Smith and, for me, if England can get Warner early and get Smith in early, it exposes Australia's vulnerable middle order.
"Warner is someone that will come at you and not only can he take the game away from you, he can do it quickly. He's the sort of player that can get hundreds in a session and he will get the crowd revved up. If Warner's smacking it everywhere, that Australian crowd will be going ballistic.
"The first time England bowl at him at Brisbane is vital - the battle up front between Warner and Anderson will set the tone for the series. Anderson is still a massive threat with a Kookaburra ball - even if may not be able to do what he does in England because the Kookaburra won't swing for 60 or 70 overs.
"I think England will use the short ball against Warner. He has had this flappy hook shot that has gone up in the air on a few occasions, so that's definitely one way of trying to stop him. They'll also work on his ego a bit, hanging the ball outside his off stump and trying to temp him into a false drive.
"Anderson will have to use all of his experience to come out on top - he'll also have to help Root as captain. It's the first time he's in charge away from home and using the Kookaburra ball so Anderson, and Stuart Broad, and their experience of bowling in Australia are going to be vital.
"Anderson was a key figure in the 2010/11 series win. He gets pigeonholed a little bit as a bowler who only has success in England but we've seen him in various parts of the world bowling brilliantly on lifeless pitches in tandem with Broad."
"You can say some people are arrogant, on the field you play with arrogance. He is definitely one of those players who is a world-class bowler and he's got the skills - he can be arrogant. He's deserved it, he's got 300 Test wickets but when he comes out to bat it's a different story because he's not that good at plain fast bowling and the guys wanted to play a bit of Mickey Mouse with him yesterday." Warner gives his verdict on Anderson after the first Test of the 2013/14 series in Australia (November, 2013).
"Having played against him in the past, I don't think he needs too much encouragement. We're going out there to concentrate on what we do, we're going to try to be aggressive with the ball up front all the way through the innings and try and take wickets. Our main job is to get them out, not to rile them up, so we'll be concentrating on that." Anderson insists England will not target Warner during the 2015 Ashes series in England (February, 2015).
