Allan Border used England insults to fire up his victorious 1989 Ashes team, but Ryan Harris says he just laughs at jibes by current doomsayers like Michael Vaughan.
The seasoned paceman is backing the Australian pace attack to silence the team’s doubters, declaring them at least a match for their Jimmy Anderson-led counterparts.
Australia are being written off as a lost cause everywhere from social media to the back pages of the British tabloids, with a common theme being predictions of a 10-0 England whitewash of the looming back-to-back Ashes series.
Former England skipper Vaughan has led the charge in the twitter-sphere, seizing on every Australian stumble in the lead-up.
Border taped newspaper cut-outs to locker room doors to motivate his unheralded side back in ’89, and says it was a vital ingredient in their upset triumph.
The seasoned Harris says he’s seen the comments from the likes of Vaughan, but he and his teammates don’t need the mockers to inspire them.
And he’s backing Australia’s pace attack as potentially more devastating than their Jimmy Anderson-led counterparts.
“I’ve noticed it. I’m on Twitter,” said Harris.
“I see Michael Vaughan tweet every day and just laugh at him to be honest.”
“If we’re looking at those things and getting motivated (by them) we shouldn’t be here,” he said.
“We’ve got enough motivation in an Ashes series to come over and win back the urn.”
England spearhead Jimmy Anderson is widely regarded as the premier quick in Test cricket.
But Harris threw down the gauntlet to England captain Alastair Cook and the rest of his batting line-up, declaring Australia’s pace attack potentially more devastating than England’s.
“We’ve got a very good attack, if not better,” he said.
“James Pattinson has come back and he’s been bowling unbelievably well and fast during the (Australia A) games. Peter Siddle’s doing the same.
“Mitchell Starc, he’s another one … if he goes anywhere near what he was doing last summer, Cook will find it very tough facing him with those big thunderbolts going away from him.
“Our attack is suited to these conditions and we’ve got one of the best attacks in the world.”