Joe Root can have the last laugh in Ashes battle with David Warner
Published:Australia batsman David Warner was dropped for his side’s ICC Champions Trophy match with New Zealand following his nightclub altercation with Joe Root – but his punishment could end up being far harsher than that.
According to reports, Warner launched into an unprovoked attack on youngster Root in a Birmingham hotspot following England’s 48-run win over the Aussies in their Group A clash on Saturday.
That contest on the field was billed as a taster for a summer which will see England face Australia 13 times by mid-September, and given that things have started badly for Warner and his team, Ladbrokes are offering customers the chance to profit should that agony be prolonged.
Root – who was believed to be blameless for the incident with Warner before being led away by Stuart Broad – is priced at 8/11 to outscore Warner over the Ashes series.
Having hit his first Test century in England’s most recent five-day contest against New Zealand at his home ground of Headingley, the 22-year-old Root is in fine form heading into his first Ashes series.
With Australia on the drift and out to 7/2 to claim the Ashes back, Warner is likely to be struggling to find many friends to support the prospect of him outscoring Root at a price of Evens.
Fiery opening batsman Warner was fined by Cricket Australia just last month after he made abusive comments to journalists on Twitter, and given that he’s only scored more than 26 in one of his last six Test innings he’ll need to transfer some of his aggression to the pitch sooner rather than later.
England have now shortened even further to 2/5 Ashes favourites, and Root can play his part to ensure that he has the last laugh in his contest with his Australian rival.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publication
