Adelaide won’t be the same as Brisbane, feels combative Strauss

ADELAIDE - England cricket captain Andrew Strauss has reiterated his team’s desire to get off to a strong start in the Ashes series.

With the Brisbane Test ending in a draw and with more plaudits for England than Australia, Strauss has warned his mates not to think too much about the past and to remain focused on the game ahead.

“We want to make sure we start strong. With three back-to-back Tests to finish the series, if you can get your nose in front it’s going to be hard for the other side to come back,” The Guardian quoted Strauss, as saying.

Strauss might have been sipping Penfolds Grange Hermitage on a wine-tasting session for the England management arranged by the batting coach Graham Gooch, but what he wants from his players is a response as workmanlike as a pint of Coopers Dark.

He also said that the pitch at Adelaide would not be the same as the one at Brisbane.

“There are going to be conditions where there is something in it for the bowlers and in those conditions I think our bowlers are as threatening as any in the world,” he said.

“It was a good wicket at The Gabba and then it died. You don’t expect that to happen in Australia. Certainly the Adelaide wicket tends to play a few tricks on days four and five,” he added. (ANI)