Strauss tells players to declare ‘war’ against Aussies to emerge as ‘heroes’ in Ashes

LONDON - England captain Andrew Strauss has told his players to not be too friendly with the Australian side during next month’s Ashes series.

“Until the end of that fifth Test we have two sides at war with each other. Both sides know that at the end of the series there will be 11 guys that are going to be feted as heroes and 11 guys that are going to have failed in their task,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Strauss, as saying.

“Until that final Test is over there is no point in being too hunky dory and friendly with the opposition. Our task is to go out there and beat them,” he added.

The 33-year-old also insists that his no-nonsense approach was not personal.

“It is not about us hating the Australians or anything like that. It is about us beating the other 11 players on the park,” Strauss said.

Strauss further said that he is relishing the twin pressure of captaining England and opening the batting.

“My role, both as a captain and an opening batsman, is an important one. I’m invigorated by the challenge of doing it, especially in Australia, because that’s a step up from where we were last summer,” Strauss said.

“My gut feeling is if our opening batsman have a good series then that’s going to make life a lot easier for the rest of the team. I’ve got a lot on my shoulders, but I’m excited about that; I feel well prepared for it,” he added. (ANI)