"It is dangerous to start talking like that" - James Anderson warns Tim Paine

James Anderson has hit back at Australian captain Tim Paine for his taunts at the England players. Anderson opined that such statements could prove to be "dangerous," citing bio-bubble fatigue and possible mental health issues.

At the time when negotiations were taking place between the two cricket boards, Tim Paine had taken a jeer at the Englishmen stating “no one is forcing” them to come down to Australia and “if you don’t want to come, don’t come."

Though the build-up to the Ashes usually sees a war of words from both ends, Anderson appealed to Tim Paine to take it easy considering the circumstances.

“It is dangerous to start talking like that, especially when we already have one player missing because he is looking after his mental health. I get it that this is an Ashes series and we are going to have this bit of pantomime stuff away from the cricket, but let’s keep it respectable,” James Anderson told the Daily Telegraph.

The England pacer touched upon the importance of focusing on the cricketing aspects and not getting carried away by the off-the-field matters.

“It is designed to distract us. There are always little things that crop up. That is inevitable but it is important we try to focus as much as we can on the cricket. That is our job. Our job is not really to get involved in any off-field war of words. We have to focus on our jobs on the field and perform for our country.”

It would "make sense" to move the first Test to Sydney, opines James Anderson

The first Test of the Ashes is scheduled to be played at the Gabba

James Anderson opined that it would “make sense” to move the first Test to Sydney from Brisbane since New South Wales will discontinue the hotel quarantine requirement from November.

The first Test is to be held at the Gabba in Brisbane as per the current itinerary. The England players will undergo a soft quarantine at a golf resort before the series opener.

“As with the stuff already, there have been discussions and I’m sure this will be something that will be brought up between ECB and Cricket Australia as well. I’m sure it is common sense to be talking about something like that but it is something way out of players’ hands,” James Anderson stated.

The Ashes is scheduled to commence on December 8, right after the conclusion of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the UAE.