Strauss proud of team
England captain Andrew Strauss says he is proud of his team after winning the one-day international series against Pakistan 3-2.
Strauss' side was under extreme pressure before the final one-day game after accusations that England players had been involved in match fixing. However, Strauss says the team responded well.
The victories over Pakistan this summer will give the team much needed confidence ahead of a tough winter in Australia. Strauss says he hopes everyone can move on from the controversy that has hampered
cricket this summer.
Strauss should be very proud of England for a number of reasons. The side will get a huge boost from beating Pakistan and must maintain momentum before the Ashes.
Right to be proud
England has been up against it during recent one-day matches against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755. England lost the third and fourth one-day matches and also had to fight over cheating allegations.
It would not have been a surprise if the England side had crumbled and allowed Pakistan to win the final match easily. However, there is fight and grit in the England team and this is something Strauss
has been asking for over a long period of time.
England reacted in a positive and efficient way. There will be spells this winter where the side is staring down the barrel against Australia but the side has shown that every player is capable of defying
the odds. England can play ugly in order to get the right results.
Strauss said: "There's no doubt about that, we've been to some pretty tough places over the past few weeks.
It's been a crazy series and one that hopefully will never be repeated again. We're delighted to have come out and won it.
I think we've had to dig pretty deep at times, none more so than this series which is one of the hardest I've ever had to play in."
Ashes preparation
England can take a lot from playing Pakistan heading into the Ashes. It was very important to win the last one-day match to maintain confidence and belief. This is because
England will not play another Test before the Ashes while Australia plays two against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750.
It was important to beat Pakistan so that England did not provide the Australian media with an excuse to attack the team. The Aussie media is well known for trying to get
beneath the skin of touring sides but every England player can now defend himself.
Strauss added: "We can't wait. This summer has prepared us well for
that. We've had to deal with a lot and we'll have to do that in Australia.
It's a massive bonus to finish on a high. It sums up our summer as a whole.
It makes it even more special when we won in the end."
Betting advice
Monitor the England camp over the next two months because a lot can happen between now and the first Ashes Test match at the end of November. Australia is not going to
name an Ashes squad until after the tour of India and there is no point placing an Ashes bet before you know each squad.
Back England to win all limited-overs forms of cricket in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746. The side is the best Twenty20 team in the world and has proven that England can still win a one-day
series in less than perfect conditions.
Strauss will be a great player to back this winter. He will be targeted by everyone in Australia and should react well. He is capable of making a big hundred in any form
of the game he plays in.
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