David Warner Welcomes Booing from English Fans Ahead of The Hundred

New Delhi, March 14 (NationPress) Former Australia batter David Warner is completely unfazed by the prospect of being booed by English cricket fans during The Hundred this summer. In fact, he embraces it.

The 38-year-old opener is set to make his debut in the competition after being selected by London Spirit during this week's draft. Warner has frequently encountered a hostile reception while playing in England, notably when tensions escalated in the Lord’s Long Room during the 2023 Ashes due to the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow.

"I actually want them to come at Australians. I love that stuff. That's what energizes me," Warner stated. "If they want to boo me, boo me, but don’t boo the team or anything like that."

When questioned about returning to Lord’s, the home ground of Spirit, Warner recognized the likelihood of another charged atmosphere. "We’ll have to wait until I step onto that field and see how they respond. I’ll have to walk past the Long Room first to get to the dressing room, so that will be interesting," he remarked.

"But this time, I’m playing for London Spirit, not Australia. And most importantly, I need to find out if the Lord’s lunches are as delightful for The Hundred as they are for internationals!"

Looking forward to England’s 2025-26 Ashes tour of Australia, Warner is skeptical that Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes’ aggressive style of Test cricket, known as 'Bazball', will be effective in Australian conditions.

"I don’t know if 'Bazball' is still relevant in England, but I just can’t envision it succeeding in Australia," he commented. "Given the bounce and the types of fields Australia set last time in England, it would be a high-risk strategy. You want to wear out the pitch and take the game into days four and five, and that style doesn’t really accommodate that."

Warner also dismissed any notion that he might provide insights on Australia’s players to his English teammates at London Spirit. "I’m sure I’ll get plenty of questions, but I won’t be giving anything away," he asserted.

While Warner briefly considered coming out of retirement for Australia's series against India last year, when the team was struggling to secure a consistent opening partner for Usman Khawaja, he insists he has completely moved on from international cricket.

"That was merely a situation of raising my hand if needed, with players dropping out left, right, and center," Warner clarified. "But I’m well and truly finished at the international level. As much as I’d love to be part of another Ashes series, that chapter is closed for me."