Warner comparing Ashes to war is 'extreme': England captain Root

England captain Joe Root on Friday criticised his Australian adversary David Warner saying it was "extreme" of him to compare the scheduled Ashes series to "war".

Earlier, Australian vice-captain Warner, on being asked about the importance of upcoming Ashes series, said, "The history, the pride that is at stake. As soon as you step on that line it is war."

Commenting on his remarks, root was quoted by Sports24 as saying, "It's a competitive sport, everyone goes out there desperate to do well, desperate to win, I would never refer to it as war, I think that's a bit extreme."

The England captain added, "You know what you get with David. What you see is what you get. He's passionate, he wants to do well for his country and it's going to be a very entertaining series."

The Root-Warner controversy is not new in cricket. In 2013, Warner punched Root in a bar during Australia's England tour. As a result, the Australian was banned for part of their tour.

The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia.

An Ashes series is traditionally of five Tests, hosted in turn by England and Australia at least once every four years.

As of August 2015, England holds the Ashes, having won three of the five Tests in the 2015 Ashes series.

Australia and England have won 32 series each and five series have been drawn.