Australia’s chief agitator David Warner has fired the opening shots in the Ashes war of words, revealing the hosts will be motivated by their “hatred” of England.

Warner, who infamously punched Joe Root during the 2013 Ashes series in England before informing the media that the tourists had “scared eyes” a few months later at the Gabba, has once again turned up the volume.

England fly out to Australia on 28 October for the five-match Test series which begins in Brisbane on 23 November and, after a buildup which has been overshadowed by a police investigation into Ben Stokes’ early-hours altercation in Bristol, Warner has somewhat characteristically opted for a front-foot approach.

“As soon as you step on that line it’s war,” Warner said on ABC Grandstand. “You try and get into a battle as quick as you can. I try and look in the opposition’s eyes and try and work out: ‘How can I dislike this player? How can I get on top of him?’

“You have to delve and dig deep into yourself to actually get some hatred about them to actually get up when you’re out there. History is a big part in this and that is what carries us on to the ground.”

Warner’s comments during the first Test at the Gabba in 2013 were criticised as “horribly wrong” by England’s then team director, Andy Flower, when the Australian singled out Jonathan Trott’s dismissals as “poor and weak”. A few days later the Warwickshire batsman returned home because of a stress-related illness.

Warner, however, insists he has no regrets regarding those inflammatory comments where he also said England had “scared eyes” during that Brisbane Test which Australia won by 381 runs.

“Four years ago, during that first Test, I made some statements in the media and at the time I thought it was a great thing to come out and speak what I said,” he added.

“I have no regrets about that and I think that could have played a little bit of a role in the back of their minds. At the moment I’m not going to put any vibes out there or get into a verbal stoush … but come day one when we walk out there, there will definitely be some words exchanged. I think the subtle approach these days is how it is and how it goes.”

Australia’s captain, Steve Smith, meanwhile, was drawn into the frenzied media debate surrounding Stokes.

The 26-year-old is suspended by the England and Wales Cricket Board while the police investigation continues. The ECB has not ruled out Stokes flying to Australia after the rest of the squad if the investigation is concluded in time.

Since his debut during the 2013-14 Ashes tour in Australia Stokes has risen to become one of the most highly rated all-round cricketers in the world, scoring six Test centuries and claiming 95 wickets from 39 caps, as well as being the England team’s most dynamic fielder. With the investigation continuing, Smith was even asked whether Stokes should be banned from playing in the series.

“Whether he comes or not, that’s out of our control,” Smith told ABC Grandstand in his first public comments on Stokes’ situation.

“You always want to come up against the best and test your skills against the best. That’s what Test cricket is all about. There’s no doubt Ben Stokes is one of the best players around the world at the moment with the skills he brings to the game.”

Smith did not reference Warner’s 2013 punch at Root – during a late-night incident in a Birmingham bar – but said he hoped no Australian players ever found themselves in a similar situation as England’s all-rounder.

“I certainly don’t condone that kind of behaviour,” he added. “Hopefully it never happens to one of our boys. Let’s hope we never cross paths with that.”