The Ashes: Australia’s nemesis Stuart Broad claps back at David Warner’s comments about old England teammate

Australia’s former Ashes nemesis, Stuart Broad, has started a slanging match with arch-rival David Warner months before he arrives Down Under to commentate on the series.

Broad — who was unveiled as an expert on Channel 7’s coverage of the blockbuster series starting later this year — is already throwing barbs at Warner, living up to his name as the man Aussie fans love to hate.

The champion fast bowler has been at the centre of some of the biggest controversies in Ashes cricket across the past two decades, including when he refused to walk after he edged a ball to slip off Ashton Agar in the 2013 series and whinged about Alex Carey’s stumping of Jonny Bairstow in 2023.

His battles with pugnacious Aussie opener Warner were at the heart of Ashes series for more than 10 years.

Now Broad has clapped back at comments Warner has made about England’s best player, Joe Root.

Warner claimed on an English podcast his former teammate Josh Hazlewood “tends to have his number quite a lot” and said Root will “have to take the surfboard (pad) off his front leg”.

“The big anchor there is Rooty, who is yet to score a hundred in Australia,” Warner told BBC Sport.

Broad — who is currently working as a broadcaster on England’s Test series against India — hit back on X.

“I’ve never heard England’s best ever batter’s front pad called a surfboard,” he posted with laughing emojis.

“Just for clarity. Hazlewood has got Rooty LBW in Test cricket three times. Three.”

Broad will this summer sit alongside Aussie legends such as Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden in the Channel 7 commentary box.

The heavyweight clash looms with cricketing tensions between the two nations at boiling point.