Former England captain Andrew Flintoff has advised his former side to leave controversial Australian batsman David Warner to make a fool of himself once again in the country, in this Ashes tour.
According to The Sun, the former opener got shipped off to play for Australia A side in Zimbabwe and South Africa after his attempted punch on England's Joe Root in a nightclub during the ICC Champions Trophy, although he is now back in English shores after making a 193 in the last match in South Africa.
Stating that Warner will be looking for a scrap at Old Trafford as the third Test starts from Thursday, Flintoff said that he believes that Warner is the type of character who will be brash, chippy and in the face when he comes out to bat in the third Test, although he advised England to leave Warner to his 'antics'.
According to Flintoff, the 25,000-strong crowd in Manchester will be on Warner's back from the first ball, adding that although Alastair Cook's men can go back at Warner with aggression, sledging, intimidation and the like, he felt that attacking Warner in the test will be a 'total waste of breath' for England.
Stating that Warner had made a 'monkey' of himself by his 'pathetic punch', Flintoff also said that England does not need to lower himself to his level given the way they are bowling at the moment, and advised the English bowlers to get Warner out cheaply and move on to the next batsman.
Flintoff also said that even though Warner has made his name in Twenty20 cricket and goes at the ball hard with his bat, both slip and gully would be in play for some streaky edges if England's James Anderson and Stuart Broad can get the ball swinging early.
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Flintoff also said that Root would not care if Warner is back in the Australian squad as he is brimming with confidence with his 180 in the Lord's Test, adding that the fact that Warner is back in the Australian mix for Old Trafford shows what state the team have got themselves in.
Flintoff further said that aggression like Warner in cricket needs to be controlled, adding that while he was playing, he found that his game was affected during the odd time he got genuinely angry.
However, Flintoff also said that there is no harm in sledging an opposing batsman and using one's size and bowling action to intimidate the rival batter, adding that Stuart Broad seems that kind of player for England now as he is a captain's dream in terms of his competitiveness.