London, July 5 (IANS): England batsman Joe Root added fuel to the Ashes fire on Sunday when he branded Australian hard-hitting batsman David Warner "ridiculous" over his explanation for hitting him in a Birmingham bar in 2013.

Warner expressed his regret at punching Root at the start of the 2013 Ashes tour, but claimed that the Englishman's "inappropriate behaviour" had been the cause.

Root grabbed a green and gold wig off the head of a friend of Warner and placed it on his chin, which the Australian claimed was mocking South African player Hashim Amla.

"I think in today’s society you shouldn’t be fooling around with that kind of stuff," Warner was quoted as saying by dailymail.com.

With the Ashes set to start on Wednesday in Cardiff, Root posted two messages on Twitter in which he termed Warner's excuse for hitting him as "ridiculous".

“Disappointing to have my character questioned - those who know me realise how ridiculous Warner's excuse for hitting me sounds,” Root tweeted.

“But that's his choice to try and justify his actions. I'm just extremely excited about next week and getting back out there,” Root said.