Home
Former Australia skipper Allan Border wants to see more aggression from the Baggy Greens, and Steve Smith in particular, as the side are set to face off against India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final before taking on England in the Ashes. Border is of the opinion that while too much hostility might be counter-productive, Pat Cummins' side are too friendly.
"You can have that friendly rivalry without being excessive, like [Steve] Smith...in India, he gave the thumbs up every time he got a good ball," he told Code Sports.
"I thought that was a bit over the top. You are in a contest out there. I'd be playing with a harder edge. We [Aussies] play a certain style of cricket. Hard, but fair cricket."
Border also spoke about their trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand, who he believes should be called 'Mr Nice Guy' XI. "The Kiwis, they are the ones that play the goodie two shoes ... but then they try to beat the s**t out of you," he added.
Another player who shares the same opinions as Border is England's Test head coach Brendon McCullum, who did not have much success against Australia at the Test level while representing New Zealand during his playing days.
"I always felt we were scrapping against them, rather than going toe-to-toe with them, and going toe-to-toe with a good side is where the magic happens. I think we have the quality in our team, and they have in theirs, for it to be a heavyweight contest, so I'm excited about that. Australians are formidable competitors," he said.
"It's why you want to play the game. You want to be tested against the best and that is what we've got in front of us in the next couple of months."
Australia will prepare for the Ashes first with the WTC Final against India, which will go on from June 7-11 at The Oval in London. Meanwhile, the first Ashes Test will take place at Edgbaston from June 16.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK
WTC Final: Four Indian bowlers dominate the list of top-20 highest wicket-takers in World Test Championship 2021-23 cycle
