Flower bans England WAGs for first two Ashes Tests
By ANITuesday, October 26, 2010
LONDON - England coach Andy Flower has barred his players from seeing their wives and girlfriends (WAGs) for the first five weeks of the tour to Australia.
The first Test is on November 25, but the squad will not be allowed to see their families until after the second Test in Perth, scheduled to finish on December 7.
“We need that period at the start of the tour with no families present. It is important to get together and focus fully on the game,” the Daily Mail quoted Flower, as saying.
It is a big change from recent England tours, but Flower is heeding the lessons of the disastrous 5-0 whitewash four years ago when several players had families present for much of the tour.
Flower also told the 16-man squad to travel to Australia with ‘no fear’ while insisting that warm-up matches will be taken dead seriously.
The first of the five Ashes Tests will be held at The Gabba in Brisbane from November 25 to 29.
It will be followed by Tests in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.
The tour also has two Twenty20 clashes and a seven-match ODI series. (ANI)
