Ex-England captain brutally attacks 'Clown' David Warner for 'He'll have nightmares' remark on Joe Root

Former Australia opener David Warner recently took a dig at England batsman Joe Root by stating Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood would unsettle him in the Ashes 2025-26 series. In response, former England spinner Moeen Ali described Warner as a "clown" and said such mind games would not affect Root.

The Ashes series will start in November 2025, but the mental battles and verbal exchanges among former players have already begun heating up. England will have a three-month gap before traveling to Australia, where they aim to reclaim the Ashes trophy. They haven’t won the trophy since the 2009-10 series.

He’s a Bit of a Clown - Moeen Ali Hits Back at David Warner

Moeen Ali opened up about David Warner’s attempt to unsettle Joe Root. Speaking on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, Moeen said that Root is not easily distracted by such tactics. He stated that India had attempted to rattle Root but failed.

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“He’s just being Warner," Moeen said on the Beard Before Wicket podcast. “He’s a bit of a clown, to be honest with you. He’s obviously trying to get into Rooty’s head which he won’t. He’s not up for the whole banter thing. It’s just Warner, isn’t it?"

“Rooty’s scored so many runs now, he’s been through the whole thing, and it won’t affect him. India tried it, and it just didn’t work—clearly didn’t—because he scored loads of runs. But yeah, there are some players you can do that to, and others you can’t," Moeen added.

Joe Root Leading Run Scorer for England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy

Joe Root was the leading run-getter for England in the recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He scored 537 runs at an impressive average of 67.13, including three centuries and one fifty. India made a few visible attempts to unsettle him throughout the series.

Prasidh Krishna made a sarcastic comment on his batting stance during England’s first innings in the final Test. Root was dismissed early in that innings but bounced back with a century in his next outing.

During the series, Root climbed to second place in the all-time Test run-scorer rankings. He overtook legends like Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, and Ricky Ponting. However, England and India drew the five-match series. His century at the Oval wasn’t enough to prevent India from leveling the series.

I Think He Will Have Nightmares - David Warner on Joe Root

David Warner said that Joe Root might struggle on Australian pitches, especially against fast bowlers like Josh Hazlewood. Warner stated that Root may face challenges similar to those he experienced against bowlers such as Stuart Broad.

Warner pointed out that Root has yet to score a Test century in Australia. He added that this will be on Root’s mind as the upcoming series approaches.

“The way that he brings down his bat playing on Australian wickets, it can bring him undone and I’ve seen it in the past," David Warner said on the sidelines of the Hundred.

“I think he will have nightmares before he gets over there about Josh Hazlewood. A bit like me and Broady. Joe is a hell of a cricket player, look at the runs he has scored, the second leading run-scorer in the world. But I’m sure he’d like to score a hundred in Australia. It’s one that has eluded him. I think that will be on his mind, so we will have to wait and see."

Also read: Asia Cup 2025: Gulbadin Naib ignores Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni in all-time India-Afghanistan combined XI