The Ashes series is set to begin on December 8. Shane Warne, Australia’s leg-spin superstar, has said that the Joe Root-led team would be highly competitive this summer ahead of the high-profile series. He also said that teams all over the world no longer fear Australia and think they can control the proceedings against them.

The England Test captain recently remarked that Gabba is no longer Australia’s fortress. He recalled India’s historic victory at the location and predicted that concerns would remain in the hosts’ minds. Given these considerations, Warne believes that things have shifted dramatically and that the team is no longer offering more risks to the opponent.

What did Shane Warne say about the Australian Test side ahead of the Ashes?

“This ‘Australia team’ is not as dominating as our team was. But here’s the key deal: no one is afraid of Australia anymore. Arriving in Australia, everyone said, ‘Oh, we are going to have to be at our best to even compete.’ Now, They simply think they can defeat Australia – every team,” Warne claimed on Fox Cricket’s World Cup Live.

Warne also feels that Australia’s Test lineup has a lot of holes ahead of the Ashes. He expressed reservations about Mitchell Starc’s efficacy, Tim Paine’s leadership, and stated that neither Marcus Harris nor Usman Khawaja would inspire him if they were picked to begin the innings with David Warner.

“When you go back at the Ashes series in Australia, England has been very, very terrible for a long time when they come to Australia. But when I look at the Australian side, I see a lot of holes. Pat Cummins, one of our fast bowlers, appears short of a gallop, but we know he’ll come good because he’s world-class. But Starc is nowhere to be seen, and (Josh) Hazlewood is bowling brilliantly.

“Now then, we have (David) Warner, not in the best of nick. Who is he going to start with? (Marnus) Labuschagne and (Steve) Smith are at three and four, respectively, but who will bat (at) five? (Cameron) Green is still a young player who seems to be very excellent. Paine has had a horror as captain the past couple of years, strategically he has been extremely terrible, lost the previous two series, and can not make a run,” Warne continued.

Joe Root took inspiration from India’s win at the Gabba this year

England will take inspiration from the Indian team’s triumph at the Gabba when they meet Australia in the first Ashes Test later this year. The match will be Australia’s first at the Gabba since their 32-year unbroken record in Tests at the stadium was ended earlier this year by an Indian squad missing several of their best talents, including Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah.

“Consider the India squad that triumphed at the Gabba. They were far from their first-choice XI, but they were unafraid. They stood up to Australia and won key sections of the Test,” said Root.

“It will instil a little bit of doubt in Australia’s head and give every player in our team a big amount of confidence,” he said.

“Having to return there and play against us for the first time after it had been such a bastion for them for such a long time. We now know that that is not the case,” Root stated.