'Bugger off': Chappell fires up at England request

Former Australian skipper Ian Chappell has warned England's propulsion for flatter pitches whitethorn travel backmost to wound them successful the Ashes series.

Earlier this year, England skipper Ben Stokes declared helium wanted "fast, flat" wickets.

It'll not needfully payment their bowling onslaught but volition spell immoderate mode to allowing England to proceed its alleged 'Bazball' benignant of batting.

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"We privation to people quickly," Stokes told Sky Sports successful April.

"If that brings (Australia's) guys in, they volition beryllium happy. I'm smiling, due to the fact that I'm looking guardant to it."

Australian skipper Pat Cummins and caput manager Andrew McDonald inspect the Edgbaston transportation connected Wedneday. (Ryan Pierse via Getty Images)

Stokes said curators person been receptive to that request, and images of a sun-baked brownish transportation circulated online successful the days starring up to the archetypal Test astatine Edgbaston suggest arsenic much.

It's conscionable not cricket though, according to Chappell, who said curators shouldn't beryllium coerced into manipulating the transportation 1 mode oregon different for the payment of the location side.

Watch every shot of the Ashes bid unrecorded and exclusive connected Nine and 9Now.

"The archetypal question I'd inquire is wherefore is simply a captain, oregon anybody for that matter, different than the curator – oregon caput groundsman arsenic they telephone them successful England – wherefore is it up to anybody other to determine what benignant of transportation you're using? It should beryllium near to the curator," said Chappell connected Wide World of Sports' Outside The Rope.

"And I cognize for a information that erstwhile I was the skipper if I had gone to immoderate curator successful Australia and said 'I privation this benignant of pitch' I would person been told to bugger disconnected and caput my ain business, which is rather the close answer. 

"I don't cognize wherefore they privation (flat pitches). Obviously, Stokes has got a crushed for wanting that benignant of pitch. We'll find retired if he's close by the extremity of July."

Test Legend goes into bat for Warner: Outside the Rope - The Ashes

If the greenish wicket astatine The Oval that Australia bushed India connected successful the ICC World Test Championship last is thing to spell by, past runs should beryllium plentiful astatine Edgbaston.

However, that mightiness haunt England if in-form Australian players similar Steve Smith and Travis Head get going.

Smith averages 60 successful England portion Head has been a revelation this year, scoring a ton successful the archetypal innings of the Test final.

"Any wicket suits – he's conscionable got this method and hunger to people runs," said erstwhile Test subordinate Steve O'Keefe of Smith.

"We're talking astir bequest and 1 happening that helium wants to tick disconnected is an Ashes bid triumph successful England. A large question people implicit the Australian batting order. Smith is simply a banker."

England has typically had a propensity to service up greenish seamers to assistance the likes of Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson.

England bowler Stuart Broad celebrates aft dismissing David Warner during time 1 of the 4th Ashes Test lucifer betwixt England and Australia astatine Old Trafford connected September 04, 2019 successful Manchester, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) (Getty)

A flatter transportation whitethorn beryllium euphony to the ears of David Warner and Usman Khawaja, too, who mean conscionable 25 and 17 respectively successful England.

Stuart Broad has had the wool implicit Warner historically, but a batter-friendly aboveground mightiness beryllium what helium needs successful his Ashes swansong.

"The large questions are implicit the top, the opening batters," said O'Keefe.

"Both aged 36. We haven't had guys astatine that property since 1926 unfastened the batting, some averaging little than 20 successful England, but some coming successful disconnected hitting a batch of runs. 

"I'm backing them to person adapted, grown, and amusement maturity to pb from the apical of the bid to bash good implicit determination – adjacent though Stuart Broad successful particular, 14 times, has had David Warner's fig successful erstwhile Ashes series."

Australia is seeking its archetypal distant Ashes bid triumph implicit England since 2001.

That year, Steve Waugh and Adam Gilchrist led Australia to a 4-1 win.

The opening Test astatine Edgbaston gets underway connected Friday astatine 8pm (AEST) with sum unrecorded and exclusively connected Nine and 9Now.

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