England to focus on their own preparations: Gooch

SYDNEY - England assistant coach Graham Gooch has said that they would be focusing on their own preparations for this week’s clash with Australia A rather than causing problems for some young Ashes squad members.

Uncapped duo Usman Khawaja and Callum Ferguson, as well as all-rounder Steve Smith are part of the Australia A line-up for the four-day game starting in Hobart on Wednesday.

England, who have beaten Western Australia and drawn with South Australia so far on tour, are simply chasing another win ahead of the first Ashes Test in Brisbane.

The England team is not interested starting any mind games against the young Aussie Ashes hopefuls.

“We are concentrating on our own game. What we need to do is get our own game right and if we do that, that hopefully will cause problems for the opposition,” Gooch said on Tuesday.

“I don’t think we are looking at any individual within this Australian A side,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted him, as saying.

“They’re obviously good cricketers. It’s a challenge for our players to go up against a good set of players; players who are hoping to represent their country.

“We come here for one reason. We’ve not come for the hospitality, we’ve not come for the weather. We’ve come to win the Ashes, it’s as simple as that and everything we do is geared towards that,” Gooch said. (ANI)