Gabba holds no fear for England

Skipper Alastair Cook accepts England will probably need to raise their game a notch or two to win a fourth straight Ashes series but almost scoffed at suggestions the tourists were running scared.

Despite the first Ashes series of the year having concluded so recently, the war of words before the second five-match encounter has been as intense as ever and Australia’s David Warner said this week that he detected fear in the tourists.

England have good reason to feel confident having dominated the home Ashes series 3-0 and Cook said his experienced side were taking all the pre-match hype in their stride.

“We certainly don’t fear anyone, that’s quite clear by the way we go about our business,” he told reporters at the Gabba, where the first test gets underway on Thursday.

“We’re a very competitive side and there’s no reason to fear any side out there. We don’t really concentrate on what people say about us, it’s about how we play in that first hour tomorrow.

“There’s been a lot of words said, but when it comes to 10 o’clock tomorrow morning, that’s all irrelevant.”

England’s one injury concern before the first test is the strained calf of wicketkeeper Matt Prior but Cook sounded reasonably confident that stand-in Jonny Bairstow would not be required.

“He’s (Prior) got the last part of his fitness to go now, yesterday he trained really well and came through all that we asked of him,” he said.

“With leg injuries, it’s usually about how you pull up the next day after a rigorous session. We’ll know pretty soon.”

Vice captain Prior, with his leg heavily strapped but clearly mobile, remained on the Gabba pitch training long after most of his team mates had packed up on Wednesday.

Prior and Cook were key members of the England line-up that contributed a torrent of runs three years ago when England won the Ashes in Australia for the first time in 24 years.

GOOD PLACE

Cook alone contributed a remarkable 766 runs at an average of 128 but was less spectacular in the first Ashes series of this year as England’s top order rarely caught fire on the slow pitches back home.

“That’s an area where we know we have to get better, we were 30 for three several times in that series and I was part of that,” he said.

“I’m happy with the way I’ve played in these warm-up games. Who knows what’s going to happen, but I feel in a good place right now.”

The feeling that England won on home soil with something to spare is one of the reasons for their confidence coming into this series and Cook suggested Australian conditions might suit their vaunted batsmen better.

“We know how important first innings runs are in Australia, if you want to set the game up, you have to score big,” he said.

“The wickets here are slightly easier to score runs on than in England, it’s the job of the batsmen to set the game up.”

Cook’s brilliant 235 not out at the Gabba in 2010 only contributed to a draw for the visitors as Australia maintained their record of not having lost to England at the ground since 1986.

Australia consider the Gabba their test match fortress and England can expect a less than welcoming reception from the Queensland public on Thursday.

That will be especially the case for paceman Stuart Broad, whose refusal to walk at Trent Bridge in the opening test of the first series infuriated many in Australia.

Cook, though, was confident the barracking would only spur on his team mate.

“He’s a very combative character, he’s an in-your-face kind of cricketer, I like that about him,” Cook said.

“Every time you give him a challenge… he’s stood up and delivered. He’s done that a number of times for England, a magic spell of bowling.

“He’s got the ability to change games. He looks in fine fettle with the ball and he’s raring to go.” 

 

Clarke gives nothing away on Ashes eve

Australia captain Michael Clarke said he was not going to promise his country “the world” on the eve of the first Ashes test.

In fact, the 32-year-old offered almost nothing by way of insight into Australia’s preparations in his final news conference before the battle with England resumes at the Gabba on Thursday.

Clarke would put to shame many politicians with his ability to talk without giving much away and his caution is perhaps understandable given he leads a team which has lost seven and drawn two of its last nine tests.

England were responsible for three of those defeats and shared the two draws in the opening rubber of the unique Ashes double-header earlier this year to retain the coveted urn for the second successive series.

So, despite a palpable sense of renewed optimism in the Australia camp, Clarke was not going to be drawn into leaving any hostages to fortune.

“I’m not going to sit here and promise the world and tell you everything’s going to be different,” Clarke told reporters.

“It’s going to be a tough battle like it was in England, we have to play our best cricket to have success no matter what conditions we’re playing in.”

Clarke swatted aside any questions about the England team with the same briskness he will hope to punish any loose bowling from the English over the next seven weeks.

Australia named a 12-man squad for the test last week and, with better news about Shane Watson’s ability to bowl, the only question is whether they go with a fourth paceman in James Faulkner or a spinner in Nathan Lyon.

Clarke made it very clear that as he is no longer a selector it would not be his call, but strongly suggested Australia should go with Lyon at the Gabba, where England have not won a test since 1986.

“The wicket looks fantastic, I think it’s a really good pitch, I think it’s going to offer pace and bounce for the bowlers, and that includes spin,” he said.

“I think spin’s had success at the Gabba because of the bounce rather than the spin.

“It’s one of the best wickets in the world to play test cricket on because it does offer good pace and bounce so your bowlers are always interested … but once you get in, it’s as good a place to bat as anywhere in the world.

“I wouldn’t imagine the conversation is about the conditions, I think it’s probably about choosing the best 11 to help us win this test match.”

As for Watson, Clarke said the all-rounder was making good progress with his recovery from a hamstring injury and would probably contribute something with the ball during the test.

“I don’t think he’ll be 100 percent and can bowl 25 overs in the first innings of a test match,” he said.

“But as we’ve seen Watto’s improved every day and I’m really confident he’ll be able to bat at his best and do a job with the ball for us.”

As for his other comments, Clarke offered that the uncapped George Bailey “was a great guy to have around”, while his take on the influence of coach Darren Lehmann was the revelatory insight that “Boof’s Boof”.

A ripple of expectation went around the room when Clarke said the batting order had been decided but he dashed the hopes of the media when he said it would not be “right” to announce it before the team was named at the toss on Thursday morning.