The English set foot on Australian soil
Anyone, who saw the English side coming out of the Perth International Airport, could clearly tell that the Englishmen have all the confidence in the world right now. The calm faces of the English cricketers gave a clear picture
of what was going on in their minds just as they set foot on Australian soil.
The English were already feeling like warriors, who were about to conquer a continent. The expats had come to greet the boys from England as if they were returning from a victory.
The amount of confidence they had mustered was exhibited when the England captain addressed a press conference, saying that there was no room for passengers in the English squad, clearly disclosing their intentions that they were
not in Australia for site-seeing. Ricky Ponting’s boys must have felt shivers run down their spine as Andrew Strauss addressed to the media.
Andrews Strauss said that they are a tight unit as a team, and this English team is one which is not relying on any single player to perform well in this Ashes series. Strauss went on to say that he and his team are well aware
of the fact, that in order to win in Australia they have to win and play as a team, and a top performance by one or two players will not help them in defending the Ashes.
The English team are being considered favourites to defeat the Australians in their own country, for the first time, after 1987, and as things are proceeding there is no reason why the English should not succeed in defeating the
Aussies.
However, one thing that Strauss knows for a fact is that the Aussies can never be considered out and done with until the very last ball. Though, this time around the Australians no longer have legends like the last time when England
toured the continent, where the English received a severe beating at the hands of the Australians.
The English skipper refrained from making any taunts at the Australian side and said that the players who were here last time are now aware of the playing conditions, and know what they have to do to win the toughest series in
the English calendar.
Strauss was humble enough to admit that he and his side were not arrogant enough to think that everything is going to be hunky-dory during the entire three month tour. He knows that his side is mentally stronger than the last time
they visited, and since they are on a winning streak they have less to worry about; nevertheless, the English skipper said that since they are in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 they are keeping themselves focused on the main task that lies ahead of them, and that is a successful
defence of the Ashes against the mighty Aussies.
Strauss brushed off any doubts that England might be under-estimating the Australian side and might take them a bit easier, since the Australians have slummed to number five in the international rankings and recently lost three
Tests to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750.
Former Australian wicketkeeper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Adam-Gilchrist-c918, who was part of the Australian side, said that both sides were equally balanced in this year’s Ashes and it was still anybody’s series. However, he believed that this time around there
is definitely more pressure on Ricky Ponting to perform well.
Stakes are getting higher and higher for both the sides as the Ashes draws nearer. This year’s Ashes will definitely have plenty to be said and heard about and things will get even more heated up if Australia manages to pull off
the highly unexpected victory this season.
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