Ashes paper talk: The view from Australia

England paceman Jimmy Anderson, Aussie opener David Warner and the English pitches come in for some criticism in the Australian press, while Michael Clarke is urged to make changes for the second Test in London.

Read what the Aussies are reading about on Wednesday, July 15th:

FOXSPORTS.COM

Jimmy Anderson's revelation that Australia rejected the offer to share post-match drinks in Cardiff raised a question that has been seriously debated in cricket circles for decades, according to FoxSports.com.

They ask - can you be mates with the opposition and still play at your best? Or does a team like Australia perform better when it’s angry?

John Buchanan, the man who led arguably Australia’s "most successful and most aggressive" side of all time says anger is far from a prerequisite to winning Test matches. They believe Michael Clarke’s decision to snub Alastair Cook’s offer of a post-match beverage could be traced to events of 10 years ago, when Ricky Ponting’s Australian team was panned by ex-players for "appearing too chummy with England".

CRICKET.COM.AU

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum thinks Australia opener David Warner "may have a few regrets about the way he carries on" once his playing days are over and points out a moment in the first Test when Joe Root reached three figures in England’s first innings.

McCullum, in his column, says: “David Warner is a fine player, but I was disappointed to see some of the petulance on show in Cardiff. When Joe Root got his hundred, Warner just stood there with his arms folded. There was no applause."

DAILY TELEGRAPH

Writer Ben Horne lays in to Anderson after he revealed that the tourists turned down the chance to reflect on the opening Test at Cardiff with their conquerors! Horne says: "If Australia were to go into the England dressing rooms for a beer after a Test match, Jimmy Anderson would probably be the last bloke to talk to them. That’s the irony of the England super villain’s bid to stir the pot ahead of the second Test at Lord’s." He goes on...

"It’s not the first time Anderson has tried to poke the bear this tour, and the series is only one match old. Anderson has a reputation as one of the nastiest sledgers in Ashes history, even though his public persona is to try and put on the charm offensive. Off the field he is not friendly with the Australians at all."

THE AUSTRALIAN

The paper argues it's "time for Clarke to show his hand" reflecting on the under-performing players from Cardiff. Gideon Haigh says: "Few Australian teams can have played so far below the sum of their collective talents in the first Test."

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Ryan Harris is busy casting his opinions having been forced out of the series and into retirement through injury. The paceman says "slow pitches like Cardiff don't make for great cricket".

And he continues: "There has been a fair bit of talk about the pitch in Cardiff. This is not a whinge. England were the better team in the first Test. The better wickets there are, the better cricket there is. But we know we're not going to get that over here because of the two Mitches and what they can do with a pitch that's got some life in it. And the way I see it that's a good thing for us because we know that England are mentally still scarred with Johnson and also now Starc."

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