Anderson hits back at Tim Paine, urges Australians to be 'respectable' ahead of Ashes

England fast bowler James Anderson has appealed to Australia's cricketers to be "respectable" while engaging in verbal wars ahead of the Ashes.

Published : Oct 16, 2021 14:54 IST

England fast bowler James Anderson. - GETTY IMAGES
England fast bowler James Anderson. - GETTY IMAGES
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England fast bowler James Anderson. - GETTY IMAGES

Veteran England pacer James Anderson has appealed to Australian cricketers to be "respectable" while engaging in verbal wars ahead of the Ashes.

Australia Test skipper Tim Paine had said Ashes will go ahead even if England captain Joe Root is not a part of the tour amidst ongoing uncertainty about quarantine restrictions in Australia. Anderson termed the comments made by Paine as "dangerous" and pointed out that it was important to block unnecessary noise ahead of the Ashes.

"It is dangerous to start talking like that, especially when we already have one player missing because he is looking after his mental health," Anderson told the U.K.'s  Daily Telegraph .

'Hype and noise'

"I get it that this is an Ashes series and we are going to have this bit of pantomime stuff away from the cricket, but let's keep it respectable. It is important everyone knows what to expect when we get there. There is always a lot of hype and noise around the Ashes in the build-up to it. Making everyone aware of that and having ways of blocking it out are important," he added.

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Anderson highlighted that the all pre-Ashes war of words were made to distract England.

"It is designed to distract us. There are always little things that crop up. That is inevitable but it is important we try to focus as much as we can on the cricket. That is our job," said Anderson.

"Our job is not really to get involved in any off-field war of words. We have to focus on our jobs on the field and perform for our country," he added.

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