England’s cricketers are confident they will wake from their post-Ashes slumber in time to reproduce their best form against Australia this summer.
While Australia have gone from strength to strength since losing the Ashes last year, England have failed to scale those same dizzy heights.
There is a fear that if their slump continues, the most eagerly-anticipated series in generations could turn out to be one-sided, but England’s players say the prospect of playing Australia would ensure they would be back on their game.
”I don’t think we consciously took the foot off the gas but what I know is that coming into the big series everyone will be giving it everything they’ve got,” opening batsman Marcus Trescothick told reporters on Monday.
”Since we won the Ashes back in England last time, this is what everyone’s been waiting to see again. It’s a difficult way to be, but all the cricket in between almost falls into insignificance when you play in such a big series.”
Vice-captain Andrew Strauss also dismissed as irrelevent England’s results over the last year, saying the Ashes was the series his team had been preparing for.
‘Tricky period’
”The greatest thing is we know we can beat Australia. A lot of previous England sides never had that experience and feeling, so that makes it easier going into the series,” Strauss said.
”What we did against Pakistan and what Australia did against South Africa is irrelevant come that first Test match.”
Australia captain Ricky Ponting claimed England would be under more pressure because they hold the Ashes but England batsman Ian Bell said both teams would be under pressure.
”This is all new ground for England so I don’t know who’s under more pressure, Australia being at home or England holding the Ashes,” Bell said.
”Obviously we have had a tricky little period with injuries and new guys finding their feet but we’re over that now.
”Whether we can have another series quite like the last one, I don’t know, but I know the cricket will be just as aggressive and it won’t be a boring series.”
England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones, who took the catch to seal England’s series-turning two run win in the second Test in Edgbaston, said his team had arrived in Australia not only expecting to regain their form but also confident of winning.
”Winning becomes a bit of a habit. That was what led us into the last Ashes,” Jones said.
”Although it hasn’t gone that well since, there’s still that strong feeling that we know how to win and that’s still there.” – Reuters