Andrew Strauss: We're confident
England cricket captain Andrew Strauss says his team are quietly confident in the build up to a highly anticipated Ashes series against Australia.
No England team has won in Australia since 1986/87 and although Strauss admits there will be pressure, he insists the majority of it will be piled on top of the Australians.
Australia has just been defeated 2-0 in a two-match Test series against India. Strauss argues that the good performance of his own team against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 this summer gives England the edge in what will
be a tight series.
There are many different reasons why England should be confident ahead of the Ashes. However, it's important to remember that there is no such thing as a bad Australian team when Australia is playing at
home.
A lot in England's favour
There is a lot going in England's favour at the moment. Australia is not in the best of form. The Test match series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 exposed weaknesses in the Australian team that England can exploit.
There are questions over whether Ricky Ponting is the right man to be leading Australia into such an important Ashes series. This gives England a target to aim at because there are no questions at all
of a similar nature within the England camp.
England has a number of hungry players that are fit and ready to fire. For example, Kevin Pietersen said that being dropped from the England limited overs squad to play Pakistan made him more determined
than ever to get back into any England team.
"I think we're in a good place as a side. We have made a lot of improvements over the last 18 months or so.
There's a quiet confidence amongst the lads without being over the top arrogant, because you need to play well out there, you need to play consistently and most importantly in the really crucial sessions you have to play
well," said Strauss.
The Australian environment
Playing in Australia can be difficult and hostile at the best of times. The Australian public and media are well known for getting on the case of any touring side. England's
players are human and there is always the chance that this could have an impact on performance.
The stakes are very high because the majority of pundits agree that England has never had a better chance to go to Australia and win. This will provide a chance for the
Australians to tap in on the pressure, which will not be difficult due to the Aussie winning mentality.
"Those of us who have been playing a while have really targeted an Ashes win in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 as being one of the defining moments of
our careers but you never know how it's going to play out there. We got to be prepared for just about anything. With an Ashes series there's a lot of off-field stuff you have to deal with," added Strauss.
Betting advice
England is going to have very tempting odds for an Ashes win throughout the build up to the series. England has enough in the team and playing squad to retain the Ashes
in Australia but it's a case of how well each player handles the occasion.
Australia has problems of a different nature but there are many players who can score big runs and take wickets at key times. Shane http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Watson-c96326 is in great form at the moment
and looks a very good bet to be the top Australian run scorer in the whole series.
This is a series that will probably be defined by a single Test match so go for a 2-1 win either way.
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