// Former Australian captain Ian Chappell has warned England's push for flatter pitches may come back to bite them in the Ashes series. Earlier this year, England captain Ben Stokes declared he wanted "fast, flat" wickets. It'll not necessarily benefit their bowling attack but will go some way to allowing England to continue its so-called 'Bazball' style of batting. ULTIMATE GUIDE: How to watch every ball of the Ashes in Australia READ MORE: Smith injury sends a scare through Aussie camp READ MORE: Latrell ruled out in monster Origin blow for Blues "We want to score quickly," Stokes told Sky Sports in April. "If that brings (Australia's) guys in, they will be happy. I'm smiling, because I'm looking forward to it." Stokes said curators have been receptive to that request, and images of a sun-baked brown pitch circulated online in the days leading up to the first Test at Edgbaston suggest as much. It's just not cricket though, according to Chappell, who said curators shouldn't be coerced into manipulating the pitch one way or another for the benefit of the home side. Watch every ball of the Ashes series live and exclusive on Nine and 9Now. "The first question I'd ask is why is a captain, or anybody for that matter, other than the curator – or head groundsman as they call them in England – why is it up to anybody else to decide what sort of pitch you're using? It should be left to the curator," said Chappell on Wide World of Sports' Outside The Rope. "And I know for a fact that when I was the captain if I had gone to any curator in Australia and said 'I want this sort of pitch' I would have been told to bugger off and mind my own business, which is quite the correct answer. "I don't know why they want (flat pitches). Obviously, Stokes has got a reason for wanting that sort of pitch. We'll find out if he's right by the end of July." If the green wicket at The Oval that Australia beat India on in the ICC World Test Championship final is anything to go by, then runs should be plentiful at Edgbaston. However, that might haunt England if in-form Australian players like Steve Smith and Travis Head get going. Smith averages 60 in England while Head has been a revelation this year, scoring a ton in the first innings of the Test final. "Any wicket suits – he's just got this method and hunger to score runs," said former Test player Steve O'Keefe of Smith. "We're talking about legacy and one thing that he wants to tick off is an Ashes series win in England. A big question mark over the Australian batting order. Smith is a banker." England has typically had a propensity to serve up green seamers to aid the likes of Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson. A flatter pitch may be music to the ears of David Warner and Usman Khawaja, too, who average just 25 and 17 respectively in England. Stuart Broad has had the wool over Warner historically, but a batter-friendly surface might be what he needs in his Ashes swansong. "The big questions are over the top, the opening batters," said O'Keefe. "Both aged 36. We haven't had guys at that age since 1926 open the batting, both averaging less than 20 in England, but both coming in off hitting a lot of runs. "I'm backing them to have adapted, grown, and show maturity to lead from the top of the order to do well over there – even though Stuart Broad in particular, 14 times, has had David Warner's number in previous Ashes series." https://twitter.com/wwos/status/1668332468464648207 Australia is seeking its first away Ashes series win over England since 2001. That year, Steve Waugh and Adam Gilchrist led Australia to a 4-1 win. The opening Test at Edgbaston gets underway on Friday at 8pm (AEST) with coverage live and exclusively on Nine and 9Now. For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here! Former Australian captain Ian Chappell has warned England's push for flatter pitches may come back to bite them in the Ashes series. Earlier this year, England captain Ben Stokes declared he wanted "fast, flat" wickets. It'll not necessarily benefit their bowling attack but will go some way to allowing England to continue its so-called 'Bazball' style of batting. ULTIMATE GUIDE: How to watch every ball of the Ashes in Australia READ MORE: Smith injury sends a scare through Aussie camp READ MORE: Latrell ruled out in monster Origin blow for Blues "We want to score quickly," Stokes told Sky Sports in April. "If that brings (Australia's) guys in, they will be happy. I'm smiling, because I'm looking forward to it." Stokes said curators have been receptive to that request, and images of a sun-baked brown pitch circulated online in the days leading up to the first Test at Edgbaston suggest as much. It's just not cricket though, according to Chappell, who said curators shouldn't be coerced into manipulating the pitch one way or another for the benefit of the home side. Watch every ball of the Ashes series live and exclusive on Nine and 9Now. "The first question I'd ask is why is a captain, or anybody for that matter, other than the curator – or head groundsman as they call them in England – why is it up to anybody else to decide what sort of pitch you're using? It should be left to the curator," said Chappell on Wide World of Sports' Outside The Rope. "And I know for a fact that when I was the captain if I had gone to any curator in Australia and said 'I want this sort of pitch' I would have been told to bugger off and mind my own business, which is quite the correct answer. "I don't know why they want (flat pitches). Obviously, Stokes has got a reason for wanting that sort of pitch. We'll find out if he's right by the end of July." If the green wicket at The Oval that Australia beat India on in the ICC World Test Championship final is anything to go by, then runs should be plentiful at Edgbaston. However, that might haunt England if in-form Australian players like Steve Smith and Travis Head get going. Smith averages 60 in England while Head has been a revelation this year, scoring a ton in the first innings of the Test final. "Any wicket suits – he's just got this method and hunger to score runs," said former Test player Steve O'Keefe of Smith. "We're talking about legacy and one thing that he wants to tick off is an Ashes series win in England. A big question mark over the Australian batting order. Smith is a banker." England has typically had a propensity to serve up green seamers to aid the likes of Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson. A flatter pitch may be music to the ears of David Warner and Usman Khawaja, too, who average just 25 and 17 respectively in England. Stuart Broad has had the wool over Warner historically, but a batter-friendly surface might be what he needs in his Ashes swansong. "The big questions are over the top, the opening batters," said O'Keefe. "Both aged 36. We haven't had guys at that age since 1926 open the batting, both averaging less than 20 in England, but both coming in off hitting a lot of runs. "I'm backing them to have adapted, grown, and show maturity to lead from the top of the order to do well over there – even though Stuart Broad in particular, 14 times, has had David Warner's number in previous Ashes series." https://twitter.com/wwos/status/1668332468464648207 Australia is seeking its first away Ashes series win over England since 2001. That year, Steve Waugh and Adam Gilchrist led Australia to a 4-1 win. The opening Test at Edgbaston gets underway on Friday at 8pm (AEST) with coverage live and exclusively on Nine and 9Now. For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here! https://ift.tt/Cjrogd5 //
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