David Warner: “I probably regret some of the words I used during the week, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to try and have some inward anger”

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Australia opener and Test vice-captain David Warner has admitted that he made a mistake by saying that the Baggy Greens need to find a “hatred” for England in the upcoming Ashes series.

Warner made the remarks last week, telling Jim Maxwell on ABC Grandstand: “The history, the pride that is at stake. As soon as you step on that line it’s war. You try and get into a battle as quick as you can. I try and look in the opposition’s eye and work out how can I dislike this player, how can I get on top of him.

“You’ve got to find that spark in yourself to really take it to the opposition. You have to delve and dig deep into yourself to get some sort of hatred about them.”

He also said: “Come day one when we walk out there, there will definitely be some words exchanged here and there.”

However, Warner’s comments were met with a lot of criticism as former England opener Marcus Trescothick called it “pathetic”, while ex-England captain Michael Vaughan attributed it to the build-up of the Ashes.

“I heard David Warner mention the word ‘war’, I’ve never seen any tanks arrive on a cricket field but these kinds of words come out of people’s mouths as they go into an Ashes series,” Vaughan told ESPNcricinfo.

Looking back on what he said, Warner conceded that he may have gone a step too far.

“I probably regret some of the words I used during the week, but at the end of the day, you’ve got to try and have some inward anger,” Warner said on Channel Nine’s Sports Sunday. “You’ve got to create a bit of that buzz out there.”

The highly-anticipated Ashes series between Australia and England kicks off on November 23 in Brisbane.