BRISBANE: Former England wicket-keeper Matt Prior hit back at Nathan Lyon for saying Australia aimed to ‘end careers’ in the Ashes series, warning the spinner his words could come back to haunt him.

The spat revealed the depths of rivalry between the two camps, with Lyon and Prior waging a war of words over the 2013-2014 series, where Australia humiliated England to complete just the third whitewash in Ashes history.

Lyon told reporters on Wednesday ahead of the first Test in Brisbane that many in the England squad remain shaken by left-armer Mitchell Johnson’s assault four years ago.

“Last time someone spouted a whole load of BS about me I stayed quiet not this time,” Prior tweeted.

“To be clear I may have been playing badly fair enough but there was no way I was getting on a plane home. You’ve embarrassed yourself @NathLyon421 & this game has a funny way of biting back.”

Prior added on the social media site that he hoped Lyon would not be part of a losing home team.

“I still remember being sat on the outfield at the SCG after winning 3-1 while your press&fans were tearing into the Oz players. You want to end careers? Just make sure its [sic] not yours that ends,” he wrote.

Lyon’s comments were backed up by Johnson, who said his former team-mate was only saying what “we all heard before”.

“But if you [Prior] say it isn’t true then we will take your word for it,” added Johnson, who retired from international cricket in 2015.

Meanwhile, England’s Barmy Army have moved on from the devastation of their last Ashes tour Down Under, predicting a victory for the visitors, with the vociferous choir setting their sights on Lyon. Chanting was underway and the beer flowing at a packed pub on the Brisbane river on Wednesday night, with the supporter group in their hundreds full of optimism on the eve of the Ashes series.

“There’s buzzing in the camp, just like the England camp I assume,” Barmy Army operations director Chris Millard said. “The pubs are packed... and we are pretty buzzing for a five-nil victory to England.”

A trumpeter led the chorus for the raucous mob, with chants to the backing of English classics, including the Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘Hey Jude’.

Millard, who is expecting about 600 to join the Barmy Army for day one of the first Test, said they have prepared songs to taunt Australian captain Steve Smith and opener David Warner.

But a new villain has emerged since the support group touched down in Australia this week.

“Nathan Lyon — he’s come out in the past few days,” Millard said, referring to the spinner’s comments this week about ‘ending careers’ in the series. “He’s come out of nowhere, abusing Matty Prior. The boys have been practising his songs for a couple of days now and we are going to get into him.”

The Barmy Army have moved on from the crushing defeat of the 2013-14 series that saw the Aussies take the Ashes in a 5-0 whitewash, leaving the English team in disarray.

“I’m not sure we are worried about Nathan Lyon,” Barmy Army’s George Gallantree said. “He can say what he likes. Let’s see what he says at the end of the series.”

Gallantree expects a louder Barmy Army this series, helping England overcome their Gabba demons.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2017