Broad hits back at 'bunny' David Warner’s comments on Joe Root before Ashes

David Warner, a former Australian opener, has already begun the teasing for the eagerly awaited Ashes 2025–26 by criticising the hitting style of England’s star batsman Joe Root.

If England is to win the Ashes urn on Australian soil for the first time since 2010–11, David Warner cheekily implied that Root would have to remove the surfboard from his front leg.

In Australia, Joe Root, one of England’s most successful Test batters, has had difficulty turning starts into hundreds. He has not scored a century in any of the nation’s 14 Test matches, with a peak score of 89 and an average of 35.68. Warner said that during the forthcoming series, which starts in Perth on November 21, Root would be susceptible to leg-before dismissals, particularly against Josh Hazlewood.

Recently, Joe Root reached a major career milestone by overtaking former Australian captain Ricky Ponting to become the second-highest run scorer in Test cricket history, only surpassed by Sachin Tendulkar of India.

“The big anchor there is Root, who is yet to score a hundred in Australia. Hazlewood tends to have his number quite a lot. He will have to take the surfboard off his front leg,” said Warner to BBC Sport.

Stuart Broad, an experienced speedster for England, pointed out on social media that Hazlewood has only ever dismissed Joe Root leg-before three times in his career. In 18 Tests, Root has lost to Hazlewood 10 times overall. It’s interesting to note that Australia skipper Pat Cummins has removed Root 11 times in Test cricket, which is even more frequent than his previous record.

I’ve never heard England’s best ever batters front pad called a Surfboard 😂😂
Just for clarity. Hazelwood has got Rooty LBW in Test Cricket 3 times. Three. https://t.co/HZc7hojQHi

— Stuart Broad (@StuartBroad8) August 2, 2025

A spectacular collapse in the third match saw the hosts bowled out for just 27 runs, the second-lowest total in Test history, as Australia’s final Test series before the Ashes ended in a 3-0 clean sweep against the West Indies. But even with the overwhelming score, Australia displayed glimpses of weakness at different points in the series, which will undoubtedly offer England hope going into the Ashes.

“It all comes down to the bowlers. If the English bowlers can put a dent in the Australia top order then they will come into the contest,” Warner added.

The Hundred 2025, which starts in a few days, will include Warner playing for London Spirit. On Tuesday, August 5, the squad will play their first game at Lord’s in London against the reigning men’s champions, the Oval Invincibles.