SYDNEY, July 9: Australian great paceman Glenn McGrath is predicting that his team-mate Shane Warne may be even more motivated for Ashes cricket series after his latest sex scandal.

“I am not going to talk about his personal life but I can talk about cricket side of things,” McGrath wrote in his column for the Daily Telegraph.

“Knowing Shane as I do, he has always been a very strong character with ability to forget anything happening outside of cricket and focus totally on the game,” he penned.

In a warning to English cricketers and rampaging British media, McGrath said: “Given cricket will be one constant in his life from here on, the scary thing for our opponents is that Shane may be focused even more on his game and in turn play even better cricket.”

The entire Australian team, already battered by media after their embarrassing start, have swung firmly behind spin ace Warne during sex scandals and subsequent separation from wife Simone.

McGrath, one of key men as Australia chase their ninth successive Ashes win, also hit back at England for their so-called aggressive attitude when Mathew Hayden reacted angrily to throw from bowler Simon Jones during a one-day game.

“If that’s what it takes to fire up England a bad throw that hit one of our batsmen in chest then I think that’s actually pretty average.

“The throw was so off mark it wasn’t funny and then you have a situation where Paul Collingwood races in and has a little go about something that has nothing to do with him,” wrote great paceman who is just one wicket away from magical 500-wicket mark in Tests.—Agencies