Our boys have the character to win the Ashes, says Strauss

LONDON - England captain Andrew Strauss is confident that his boys have the ability to handle the pressure of playing in the Ashes.

Strauss believes that England cricketers have to stay calm even in a tense situation if they want to repeat the success of 2005, when they won the Ashes after 18 years.

“The key to the series is how you handle those pressure moments and there are going to be plenty of them,” Strauss was quoted as saying in The Times, London, on the eve of the first Test in Cardiff starting Wednesday.

“That’s going to be a bit of a test of character and a bit of a test of courage and technique. You have to be prepared for that and be mentally switched on enough to come through that, come out the other side and then apply the pressure on the opposition.”

Strauss said that some of the players’ experience of playing in the last Ashes will stand in good stead for the team.

“I’m very happy with the characters we’ve got in our side. All 11 of them have shown before that they can handle those situations. An Ashes series is slightly different and we’ve only got probably half our team that have played in an Ashes series before.

“But the guys that have come in have an opportunity to show they can do it in an Ashes series and I’ve got very few concerns in my own head that there are any weak links and that’s encouraging.”

The England captain added that the guys are eagerly waiting for the start of the first Test.

“The guys are chomping at the bit to get out there and play now. There’s been a big build-up, but everything’s going exactly according to plan. The guys are all pretty confident and very excited about the prospect of going out there and representing their country in an Ashes series, which is a pretty big thing for any England player,” he said.