ASHES 2017-18

Handscomb expects no drop in chatter levels at Adelaide

by Tristan Lavalette • Last updated on

"It's something that's part of the game, it always has been, it always will be" - Handscomb. © Getty

Peter Handscomb, the middle-order batsman, says Australia will continue to unleash a verbal barrage at England in the aftermath of the Jonny Bairstow "headbutting" saga. The Ashes series was briefly mired in a firestorm after it was revealed that Bairstow headbutted Australian opener Cameron Bancroft in a Perth bar last month. Australian players used the incident to fire salvos at England's wicketkeeper on day four of the first Test and the series has been dominated by chatter around the incident ever since.

There has been some criticism levelled at Australia's sledging of Bairstow with the headbutting incident subsequently played down by all parties. However, Handscomb confirmed Australia would not relent on the verbals during the second Test in Adelaide starting on December 2.

"It's something that's part of the game, it always has been, it always will be," he told reporters in Adelaide on Thursday (November 30). "If there's a moment that we can exploit someone's mental capabilities well then yeah, we're going to go about it.

"There are moments you pick and choose and obviously the right words. There's a line and we've just got to make sure we don't cross it."

Despite playing with Bairstow at Yorkshire, Handscomb said there was no room for sentiment amid the cauldron of the Ashes. "When I played with him at Yorkshire we had a great time together," he said. "I really like Jonny, we got along really well but it's a different ball game now. I'm not trying to make him (Bairstow) feel good out there. That's not my job," he added.

Meanwhile, backup quick Chadd Sayers said he wasn't expecting a fairy tale Test debut on his home ground despite the heavy workload from Australia's frontline pacemen in Brisbane. "I assume if the big three quicks are fit then they will probably get the nod," Sayers told reporters on Thursday.

Sayers, who was 12th man in the Ashes opener, has been backed by former Australian quick Jason Gillespie, who has called for his fellow South Australian to be given a chance during the series.

Sayers said a Test call-up would be a dream come true. "All I can do is train the house down and perform when I go out to Shield cricket," he said. "I think I have done that over the past two or three years so I guess it will hold me in good stead if I do get the chance. It's always good to be involved in the Australian cricket team.

"But I guess you want to play and I want to earn that baggy green," he added. "It's a lifelong dream and to do it in Adelaide would be even more special."

© Cricbuzz

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