David Warner says Joe Root will need to “take the surfboard off his front leg” if he and England are to succeed in Australia this winter.
Warner, 38, is in England for a stint with London Spirit in The Hundred and while he is looking forward to calling Lord’s home for a month, he could not resist a gentle dig at former Ashes rivals.
England face Australia in the Ashes from late November, when they will attempt to win back the urn for the first time in 10 years.
“The big anchor there is Rooty [England batter Joe Root], who is yet to score a hundred in Australia,” Warner told BBC Sport.
“Josh Hazlewood tends to have his number quite a lot. He will have to take the surfboard off his front leg.”
Warner, who retired from international cricket last year, is set to make his Hundred debut in the tournament opener against Oval Invincibles on Tuesday.
He could face Root’s Trent Rockets at Lord’s on 14 August.
Root is the number one Test batter in the world and crucial to England’s hopes of winning the Ashes but has never scored a century in Australia.
He has been dismissed 10 times in 18 Tests by Australia seamer Hazlewood – one fewer than the 11 times he has been dismissed by Australia captain Pat Cummins and India bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
“It all comes down to the bowlers,” Warner said.
“If the English bowlers can put a dent in the Australia top order then they will come into the contest.”
Warner could also face another former Ashes rival in The Hundred this year in veteran bowler James Anderson. Anderson was a late pick for Manchester Originals, who the Spirit play on 11 August.
Asked about the prospect of facing England’s record wicket-taker again, Warner said: “They are 2025 white cricket balls not 2018 red Dukes.
“It is going to be a bit different.”
England asked for the 2018 batch of Dukes balls to be used for the 2019 Ashes because they expected them to move more for Anderson and the hosts’ other seamers.
Anderson was injured four overs into the series which was drawn 2-2, yet Warner has not forgotten.
“He probably won’t be able to seam it around corners like they normally do,” Warner said.
When Warner plays on Tuesday it will be the first time he has taken to the field on English soil since the final day of the Ashes in 2023.
That day, before the ball changes, bail swaps and Stuart Broad’s finale, Warner was applauded off by the crowd at The Oval, despite his troubled history with the England-supporting public.
“I was touched by that,” Warner said.
“It is a credit to the supporters of cricket in England, who love the game.
“We have always had our challenges and battles as nations but what English supporters do is appreciate players who have played for a long time. That did mean a lot.”
The Spirit reached the Hundred eliminator 2022 but have finished seventh or eighth in the tournament’s other three seasons.
This year Warner will be reunited with another Australian, the former coach and opener Justin Langer who has replaced Trevor Bayliss as coach.
“I know Spirit haven’t gone too well in the past few years,” Warner said.
“For myself to bring some energy and intensity to the group and project that on the field would be awesome.
“It is about the fans and the young kids that are coming out to see us, not about the player and whether there has been a bit of history or not.
“It is about supporting the game, making sure we are the ones putting bums on seats and are there for the right reasons.”
