Pre Ashes Thread

[flamy]

They need some coaching from us.

[achilles]

Ponting must be at his lowest standing in cricket history, with 19yr olds, rookie batsmen and now a silent man pwning him mercilessly in public.

[Sir john]

pointing doing his business as usual,what is problem with straussy.

[Feed]

James Anderson boost for England as bowler is on course to make first Ashes Test England team director Andy Flower has declared himself confident James Anderson will be fit for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane on November 25. The seamer is recovering from a rib problem.More... James Anderson boost for England as bowler is on course to make first Ashes Test By Sportsmail Reporter 25th October 2010 England coach Andy Flower has declared himself confident James Anderson will be fit for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane on November 25. Seamer Anderson cracked a rib during the side's recent training camp in Germany but is already bowling again and could even be involved in two of the warm-up games Down Under. 'He's already bowling at 75 per cent, so he should be fine for the first Test,' Flower said on Monday afternoon. 'More than likely, he'll be okay for two of those warm-up games.' On the mend: Anderson is making rapid progress in his recovery from injury Anderson was injured during England's training camp in Bavaria this month while boxing against an unnamed team-mate - reportedly Chris Tremlett. Despite the setback, Flower had no regrets over the controversial camp. 'No, none at all,' he said. 'It's was an excellent camp, actually, and I think the players and management that were involved in it did things that they might never have done before in their lives and might never do again, and it was a very healthy experience.' Flower was also unconcerned about star batsman Kevin Pietersen, who has not scored a Test century since March 2009 and was forced to apologise for an expletive-laden rant on Twitter upon being dropped by the one-day side. Pietersen joined South African side Kwazulu Natal Dolphins in bid to rediscover his form but made 36 and a second-ball duck in his two first-class innings. Flower said: 'He's very well; he enjoyed his trip to South Africa; and he's in a very good state of mind ready for the tour. 'He didn't get many opportunities (for Natal). Unfortunately, the way the games panned out, he only got one innings in each game. 'But he did some really good work with the Natal side and I think it would've stood him in good stead. 'He feels good about his cricket; he feels confident going into Australia.' England will head to Australia above their arch-rivals in the Test rankings following the latter's series defeat in India. But Flower questioned whether that made his side favourites, saying: 'I'm not sure that it is the case. I think they are fairly evenly-matched sides. 'We're playing Australia in Australia, where they've got a very good record. We respect the opposition, but we don't fear them. 'We're very confident about our own side and it should be a very exciting series to be involved in and for people to watch.' Shrugging off the impact of Australia's performances in India, Flower added: 'The conditions are very different to the ones that we will face in Australia. 'That series will mean very little come the Brisbane Test. We obviously watch our opposition and we analyse them - and that's important for our preparation. 'This series is a totally different series but we're confident going into it.'

[asterix]

Axxxcellant news for Aussies..

[Feed]

Pietersen's Pumped Up Flower: Kevin will deflate his critics More... PIETERSEN'S PUMPED UP By Dean Wilson 26/10/2010 Flower: Kevin will deflate his critics England boss Andy Flower has tipped Kevin Pietersen for greatness in Australia. Forget the fact he hasn't scored a Test ton in 20 months and was axed from the one-day side. Flower is in no doubt that his misfiring batting star will come better than good this winter. If the Aussies like to refer to high praise as 'pumping up a player's tyres', then KP can consider himself the Michelin Man as he prepares for his second tour Down Under. At 30, Pietersen might not be on the way down just yet - but he is certainly at a crossroads in his career. It is up to him whether he gets to join the English cricket greats or sticks with the 'very goods'. Flower has left the man from Natal under no illusions. He said: "I expect great things from Kevin. He is a very fine player and he is very motivated to do well for England. "He wants to make a big contribution and this is a great stage for him to do it on. "He is a talented player, a very special player, in fact, and I just expect him to be a stand-out on this tour. "I don't buy it that he's on the way down, I expect even greater things from him than he has achieved already - and I look forward to seeing him do it. His decision to go to South Africa and play was a brave one, given that he wasn't sure what he would face. "Kevin could have had a holiday there if he'd wanted, but he chose to spend a lot of time playing and practising, and feels confident after the trip." While Pietersen was guesting for the Nashua Dolphins in Durban, his name was taken in vain by former Australia coach John Buchanan, who was invited by Flower to join the ECB as a consultant. Buchanan labelled Pietersen "divisive" and "an individualist". Flower might have reacted badly to that criticism, but in a clear example of how he has kept an increasingly assured hand on the tiller, he wouldn't bite. And now that James Anderson appears to be making a timely recovery from his broken rib, Flower has regained a reassuring air of calm about him that will be sorely tested in Australia. "Kevin is an integral part of our side and a very healthy part of it," he added. "He is an exceptional cricketer but also a role model in the way he trains and goes about his business. John Buchanan has played a role as a consultant ahead of the last two Ashes series and is clearly not in our inner circle. "James Anderson is doing well, and I imagine he will be fit enough for two of the warm-up games. And unless he injures something else, he will be fit for the first Test. "Jim getting injured was not part of the plan as far as the team-bonding camp in Germany was concerned, but these things happen. He's done all the fitness testing and although he is not able to bowl at 100 per cent, he is still able to bowl." Experience has taught Flower, 42, to look and learn - rather than shout the odds. "I think I made a few mistakes when I first got involved with the England team," he confessed. "Instead of watching and observing and learning more about people to understand them better, I voiced my opinions earlier than I should have. I don't think that helped my relationship with players initially." Promoting the Sky Sports and ECB coaching education programme that has produced 33,000 coaches in the past four years, Flower said: "I hope the players embrace Australia. "I don't think there is anything to be afraid of out there. "It is actually a tour that should be welcomed. It should be one of the highlights of a player's cricketing career." Ashes winners 2010-2011: 8-11 Australia, 9-2 Drawn Series, 2-1 England.

[vamos_rafa]

Oh.. the daily dose of Englishmen vomiting how they are ready with their preparations and how they are going to win this time. I am getting :mad: with it now..

[kabira]

The Battle of Mediocre s (4th and 5th) Will be fun series to watch.

[Sid]

The Battle of Mediocre s (4th and 5th)Will be fun series to watch.

:giggle:

[kabira]

Not too long ago, England used to be simply pathetic and had no hopes of winning Ashes either at home or away. But now they have decent team, so they will mouth off LOL, But good to see, 4th and 5th ranked teams (Both lost a test match to Pakis) playing each other. It will be competitive series for sure.

[mastana]

^^ lol :hehe: Anderson is an overrated bowler.

[ravishingravi]

Haha.

[mastana]

This Ashes will be different. It will be Australia vs Rest of the World(England). :aha:

[achilles]

If KP rocks the Ashes, England will have a better chance of winning. Its as simple as that. PS- England Boss? Someone tell Mirror that this is cricket, not football.

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Mitchell Johnson is focused on regaining the Ashes after errant time in England Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson is determined to get his mental preparation right for the upcoming Ashes series after his horror time in England last year.More... Mitchell Johnson is focused on regaining the Ashes after errant time in England By Sportsmail Reporter 26th October 2010 Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson is determined to get his mental preparation right for the upcoming Ashes series after his horror time in England last year. Johnson, 29 next week, has previously admitted he was mentally distracted during the 2009 Ashes series, saying he built it up too much in his head and subsequently failed to find his best form as England won their second consecutive series on home soil. On top of the expectation he placed on himself, Johnson was also the subject of intense media scrutiny over his private life, after stories in magazines hinted at a rift between his mother and partner Jessica Bratich. The end result was that Johnson was nowhere near the force he had been over the previous 12 months as he took 33 wickets across six Tests against South Africa at 25.44. He still managed 20 English scalps at a respectable 32.55, but his lack of control at various points meant skipper Ricky Ponting was sometimes reluctant to hand his primary strike weapon the ball. But heading into a new Ashes series, and a chance at redemption against the old enemy, Johnson is determined not to make the same mistake twice. 'Over there I definitely built it up in my mind,' Johnson said. 'It was a huge deal for me, like any young guy coming through. 'I think I've learned that lesson now and I've experienced that and now I've adjusted to the pressures of, I guess, being a leader of the attack as well. 'So I'm looking forward to this series, it's something I'm very excited about,' he said. Mentally fresh and raring to go, Johnson said it is definitely time for Ashes payback. 'We want to win, that's for sure,' he declared. 'We want to win the series and we're in our backyard now, we've got the wickets that we enjoy. 'There's been a lot of talk already, that build-up started pretty early on, so we're all ready and keen to go.' Having moved from Queensland to Western Australian at the start of 2008, Johnson is yet to play a match for the Warriors due to his international commitments. But the bowler, along with Australia batsmen Michael Hussey and Marcus North, will all be on hand for WA as they take on South Australia in a Sheffield Shield game starting in Adelaide on Friday. Having been a part of Australia's losing side in India, Johnson said it was important to get some practice time on home wickets. 'We just came back from India where the wickets are pretty docile over there,' Johnson said. A lot of hard yakka: Johnson reacts as Australia lose in Bangalore - their third Test loss in succession 'Just training this morning, the wickets are bouncing through, so you've got to adjust your lengths over here again. 'So I think it's pretty important that I'm having this game for the WACAs and to be able to work on a few things during that game, and hopefully get into a good rhythm and build myself up for the Ashes.

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After a topsy-turvy year Kevin Pietersen heads for Australia insisting 'I'm still the Daddy' Kevin Pietersen is defiant. 'Even with all the doom and gloom over the way I've been playing I think I've averaged 40 over the last 18 months or so,' he says. 'So it's not all bad.'More... After a topsy-turvy year Kevin Pietersen heads for Australia insisting 'I'm still the Daddy' By Paul Newman 28th October 2010 Kevin Pietersen is defiant. ‘Even with all the doom and gloom over the way I’ve been playing I think I’ve averaged 40 over the last 18 months or so,’ he says. ‘So it’s not all bad. ‘I am looking for that Test hundred and I am looking to put myself back to where I was. I’d love people to see how hard I train and all the work I do away from the game to put things right. ‘I am trying so hard to get back to where I used to be. Maybe I’ve been trying too hard, I don’t know. But I’m doing everything I can to get back to being the player I have been.’ Daddy cool: England's Kevin Pietersen is confident he will be in peak form when the Ashes kicks off Whether he succeeds will be integral to England’s hopes of retaining the Ashes. For Pietersen is approaching the seismic battle against Australia knowing that he must not only overcome Ricky Ponting’s side on their own patch but also the doubts that have been created by the first sustained barren spell of his meteoric career. At 30, England’s best batsman is approaching the series that will define him. Nothing seemed more certain than that Pietersen would become England’s first truly great cricketer since Sir Ian Botham when he both impressed and amazed with his strokeplay and sheer audacity in four dizzy years of achievement after qualifying to play for his mother’s country. Now that status is very much in the balance. That the tumultuous ride came to something of a halt at the end of 2008 is down to three hugely significant developments in Pietersen’s professional and personal life, and not all of them negative. First he lost the England captaincy in circumstances that still hurt him. Then he suffered an achilles injury that turned out to be far more serious than first imagined. And finally, but far more positively, he became a father earlier this year and realised that there is more to life than cricketing achievement. Out of form: A poor run resulted in Pietersen being dropped from the one day series against Pakistan Now, in his only major interview ahead of the Ashes, it is clear that Pietersen is still hungry for success, still driven towards his ultimate career goal of 10,000 Test runs but with more selfdoubt and wariness than the public perception of him. His confidence has been hit by the last two years but it is clear that he retains enough self-belief to be sure that the good times are again just around the corner. ‘Yes, it has been tough and a lot of things have gone on but I’ve had some amazing times too,’ said Pietersen. ‘I had the best week of my life this year so I’m not too down about things. I know exactly the way I can play and I just need a few things to work in my favour and I’ll be fine. ‘Batting conditions this summer were extremely hard and I wasn’t the only one who struggled. There were a few players who looked out of nick. During the summer it always seemed to be overcast, the ball was nipping around and Pakistan have one of the best attacks in the world. Nobody really got big runs except for Trotty (Jonathan Trott). ‘But now the big one is coming up and I see this as an unbelievable opportunity to do something that would be the pinnacle of my career. I’ve won the Ashes and I’ve won a World Cup and to win in Australia as an Englishman would be the icing on the cake and the cherry on top. It would be a case of done and dusted.’ The best week of his life came in May when Pietersen flew home from the World Twenty20 in the West Indies to attend the birth of Dylan and then returned to Barbados to become the player of the tournament as England won their first global event. Not even the volcanic ash cloud that affected flights around the world could stop him then. It seemed that any problems he had were over. Yet so difficult was the summer that England ended up dropping Pietersen for the first time for the one-day series against Pakistan and then he was loaned to Surrey after it became clear that his long-distance relationship with Hampshire was over. Now he is travelling to Australia after a two-game stint in South Africa with his old KwaZulu-Natal side, a working holiday Pietersen arranged himself, failed to provide the big score he desired. ‘Being left out was a new experience but I realised I had to go away and get that hundred I had been craving and start feeling good about myself again,’ said Pietersen. ‘No, I have never felt really out of nick and I didn’t want to be left out but I understood the reasons and I took it on the chin. ‘When you go back to county cricket, there are fewer out-and-out quick bowlers and you sometimes have to adjust to facing 70mph bowling. It provides something new to get used to but I scored a hundred in my second game for Surrey and that did me the world of good. 'Cricket has its ups and downs and the key for me is not being too fazed by what happened this summer.’ There is an acceptance that his priorities have changed. ‘Fatherhood is the best thing in my life,’ said Pietersen. ‘Having not been selected by England at least I had the chance to spend a bit more time with the little man and it was magical. He’s amazing, absolutely amazing. I’ve worked out that I will be away from home for 220 days this winter and that will be tough. I will only see my family for a short while during that time. It will be the hardest thing this winter. High times: Pietersen announced himself to the world with some stunning innings in the 2005 Ashes ‘I’m still driven and hungry. I still want it. But when you become a father you do have distractions. It’s a time which coincided with a slump in form but I still don’t think I’d have had that slump if the wickets had been good and conditions had been more in the batsmen’s favour. 'I sorted everything out technically in Bangladesh and I still feel my game has been sorted but there are no excuses for my form. I didn’t play well enough this summer. Now I need to put the record straight in Australia.’ There are a few records to put straight because trouble does seem to have followed Pietersen around. His initial reaction to being dropped was to post a message of frustration on Twitter that led to him being fined £1,500. ‘I never meant it to be seen by the public,’ he insists. ‘It was a direct message sent by mistake. It happens. Everyone has sent a text to the wrong number, haven’t they? I laugh about it now. ‘Twitter is a good way of communicating with people. I certainly don’t think it should be banned. How can you do That? Say you ban it and then something new comes out next week called Grizzle. Are you going to ban that too? The lads have just got to be sensible with it and I have to make sure I press the right button!’ Then there is his departure from Hampshire which has been interpreted as an acrimonious one. ‘It was something that was made a big deal of but I cannot see why there was such a fuss or why it caused such a furore,’ said Pietersen. ‘I’m fine with Rod Bransgrove (the Hampshire chairman) and I’m fine with the lads. ‘The reason I left Hampshire, to get it right, is that I never really had the chance to get close to them because my England career took off at the same time I joined them and subsequently I lived so far away. When they were playing at home and I wasn’t playing I couldn’t just pop round the corner to see them. ‘If I was at a London club I could spend an hour in the dressing room on a day off and train at the ground. As it turned out all my training and rehab was done at Lord’s and it was impossible to spend any time at the Rose Bowl. ‘Of course I understand why Hampshire didn’t pick me for Twenty20 finals day. I can understand any county not picking an England player, full stop. Why would they want to pick an England player who’s hardly ever there for a big final and disrupt the side? The players who got Hampshire to finals day deserved to play and I was delighted when they won it. ‘Now I want to be affiliated to a club that I can give something back to in my last years of playing for England. I really enjoyed my time at Surrey and they made me feel very welcome. They are a young, talented side and hopefully I can build a relationship with them. We’ll wait and see. If the opportunity arises to sign for them then yes it’s not too far away from home.’ I tell him that I can see no reason why he cannot be ‘unattached’ while he is a centrally contracted player and just be seconded to a county, like he was at Surrey, whenever the need arises for him to gain extra time in the middle. ‘I can understand that point of view but I don’t want to get into any trouble over it,’ said Pietersen. ‘The ECB make the rules and I can understand why it’s nice to be affiliated to a county. With the amount of cricket the England guys play I can also see the circumstances that would allow what you’re talking about, but I hope I can join a county for next year. I’m trying very hard to get a county contract. We’ll see.’ It is the Ashes, though, that dominate his thoughts. ‘Australia in Australia are a formidable team,’ said Pietersen. ‘We saw that the last time we went there. We’ve got a good team and a good team spirit but I feel we will have to play more than decent cricket to beat them in Australia. 'I’d never say before a ball has even been bowled that we will definitely win in Australia because it’s such a tough tour for an England cricket team on and off the field. But we’re in a good position so let’s see how we go.’ His importance to England is unquestioned so it is worth remembering that Pietersen averages 50 in 12 Tests against Australia — including that 5-0 whitewash — and despite his annus horribilis still averages 47 in all Test cricket, hardly a poor record. It is just that expectations are so great. ‘I believe everything happens for a reason so I’ve still got a smile on my face and I’m looking forward to an incredible winter,’ said Pietersen. ‘My body feels good, no injury problems at all now. In fact at 30 I feel better than I did at 25. I just want to get back that self-satisfaction of doing well now.’ It would be foolish to write him off just yet.

[Gunner_Mania]

'Pack the urn' say Aussies The Ashes build-up continues apace, with images of Australia captain Ricky Ponting and deputy Michael Clarke projected on to Big Ben on Wednesday night together with a message reminding England captain Andrew Strauss to "pack the urn". England fly out of London on Friday as they seek their first Ashes series win Down Under in 24 years. However, Strauss's hand luggage will not contain sport's biggest little prize as it remains on permanent display in the Marylebone Cricket Club Museum at Lord's. Regardless of that tradition, the Australians taunted their counterparts with the projection which read: 'Don't forget to pack the urn - bringontheashes.com' Ponting said: "Winning the urn back from our age-old rival is the most prized achievement for Australians and we just wanted to send them a reminder not to leave the urn behind. "Our message is clear - we're prepared and we're ready so bring on the Ashes!" Vice skipper Clarke added: "The Ashes is the ultimate cricket battle between our nations and this year will be no exception. "The team will have to dig deep and deliver. We have some new faces in the squad this series who didn't play in England last time. So they're fresh and excited to be part of their first Ashes tour." http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12340_6472481,00.html

[Sachinism]

Pietersen brands Buchanan 'a nobody' Kevin Pietersen has branded John Buchanan, the former Australia coach and occasional advisor to the ECB, as 'a nobody' following comments that Pietersen could be a divisive factor during the Ashes tour. In a recent magazine interview Buchanan, who was brought in by the ECB to offer insight on the Australians before the Ashes, said Pietersen could be "individualist and fragmentary" if his form didn't improve. Andy Flower, the England coach, responded to the comments by predicting great things from Pietersen during the Ashes and saying that Buchanan wasn't part of England's inner circle but the man himself was even more dismissive. "I didn't react to it because it was strange that he made headlines," Pietersen said. "I'm not interested in what he has to say. Who is he? He's a nobody. "He had the best team to coach in the history of cricket. Anyone could have coached that team. He has done nothing else solid so I won't even take it with a pinch of salt." Still, Pietersen is under pressure heading into the tour after a lean period where he has only hit one hundred at any level since March 2009. In a quest to regain some touch before facing Australia he arranged to join the Dolphins in South Africa but his short stint was restricted to two innings where he made 36 and 0, so the three warm-up games in Australia are looming as crucial in Pietersen's preparation. Despite only getting two hits in South Africa, Pietersen believes the time spent with Graham Ford - the Dolphins coach and a long-time mentor - will prove invaluable. "Graham Ford was brilliant for my confidence. He knows how to get the best out of me," he said at the launch of his latest Brylcreem product in London. "I did some amazing work with him and absolutely loved it. I rekindled some shots out of my old style of play. "I'm really looking forward to the series and I'll be full of confidence that I'll do well. I am going to go out there and get some runs. I'd love to post a big score in the first Test. I've done it before so why not again? I love playing Australia." However, Pietersen has admitted being one of the players unhappy with Flower's decision to ban WAGs for the first five weeks of the tour. The players' wives and girlfriends will only be allowed to join the trip following the second Test and Pietersen, who has talked in the past about not wanting to be away from his wife and young child, made his opposition clear. "I didn't react too well to it but it's not something I'm prepared to get involved in," he said. "I respect Andy Flower's decision. I have to respect it." http://www.cricinfo.com/the-ashes-2010-11/content/current/story/483930.html

[99.94]

I loved getting stuck in to Pieterson when he toured here last time - he was great value fielding on the fence. He even wrote TIT! in massive letters across some guy's forhead :haha:

[vaibhav_delhi]

Pietersen following his old mate warney's footsteps..