Brisbane – It’s the game before the games, the chatter for the Ashes.

And well-known former protagonists from Australia and England have started the verbal jousting that comes with one of the oldest sporting rivalries in the world.

Ex-Australia opening batter David Warner raised the level this week when he said the Australians were competing to win the Ashes, while England would be playing for a “moral victory” for its so-called Bazball approach to test cricket.

Warner predicted a 4-0 win for Australia — expecting the weather inevitably to play some part in a draw along the way — although suggested England could win one test if Australia skipper Pat Cummins is ruled out through injury.

Stuart Broad, a longtime pace spearhead for England, upped the ante by declaring Australia’s squad w

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