View Full Version : Andrew Strauss says England's current form won't retain Ashes in Australia
aussie1st
20 Jan 2010, 15:15
Frustrated and jaded England captain Andrew Strauss has delivered his squad a pre-Ashes rocket, declaring "we're not good enough" as the countdown begins.
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With another Ashes battle just 10 months away, Strauss questioned England's mental toughness after they crashed to an embarrassing innings defeat in South Africa.
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"We're not good enough at this stage, that's the simple answer," Strauss said in the aftermath of England's fourth-Test drubbing in Johannesburg.
"We've shown resilience and proved we can be a hard side to beat, which is an important attribute. But we're not clinical and consistent enough. That's been a trait with this team for quite a long time. We need to look at why; perhaps we don't react to match conditions quickly enough. We need to get better.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26609020-5018870,00.html
Wish our captain would see the light and say something similar. Ok its a bit harder given we won 5 out of our last 6 matches but he could have said we still have things that need to be sorted instead of http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=667686
And I would agree with that. They were fortunate to hang on to a 1-1 draw in South Africa. What they really need to find is a bowler or two that can bowl well in Australian conditions. I'm predicting a 3-0 result.
Adelaide Hawk
20 Jan 2010, 16:22
Strauss understands that England came marching into the 2006-07 series with their heads high and chests out, making all sorts of statements about retaining the Ashes, etc. They were thumped 5-0, and their arrogance contributed. Strauss knows how tough it is to beat Australia on their own dung hill, and is smart enough not to let that happen again.
I still think the Aussies will win though.
Primetime Pricey
21 Jan 2010, 13:44
Playing it down nicely Straussy. England to retain the Ashes :D!!!
TheColeTrain
21 Jan 2010, 14:23
5-0 again
Santana
21 Jan 2010, 14:48
Playing it down nicely Straussy. England to retain the Ashes :D!!!
English arrogance never gets old. :thumbsu:
Primetime Pricey
21 Jan 2010, 14:54
English arrogance never gets old. :thumbsu:
unlike the arrogance of most of the Australian cricketers ;)
Adelaide Hawk
21 Jan 2010, 15:58
unlike the arrogance of most of the Australian cricketers ;)
I guess the difference is the Aussie cricketers over the past couple of decades at least had some reason to be arrogant :)
Primetime Pricey
21 Jan 2010, 16:06
I guess the difference is the Aussie cricketers over the past couple of decades at least had some reason to be arrogant :)
no doubt the Australian cricket team for a long time has been so far dominant its not funny but quite a few of the players have acted like wankers pretty much on the field and didnt need to. Thats my only issue with them. If someone hits you for four or misses a shot you dont need to tell them to fk off etc etc.
damochandler
21 Jan 2010, 16:11
i think england will find the conitions to get use to very difficult here in aus when the ashes comes around. if the ball doesn't swin their quicks will struggle. they are a clearly carrying a couple in their batting line up as well. i wonder how long they will keep persisting with kp and trott. swann will go well down here
Santana
21 Jan 2010, 16:23
unlike the arrogance of most of the Australian cricketers ;)
I wasn’t talking about the players I was talking about supporters like you. I’m not really sure where the arrogance comes from though. It isn’t like you’ve witnessed much success.
Primetime Pricey
21 Jan 2010, 17:33
I wasn’t talking about the players I was talking about supporters like you. I’m not really sure where the arrogance comes from though. It isn’t like you’ve witnessed much success.
bahahahahaha. I know you werent talking about the players, i just turned it on the national team.
After all the years Australia have smashed England and we have copt massive abuse, we win 2 of the last 3 Ashes and have a little "we are gonna retain the Ashes" and we are being arrogant? yep.........
Santana
21 Jan 2010, 20:23
bahahahahaha. I know you werent talking about the players, i just turned it on the national team.
After all the years Australia have smashed England and we have copt massive abuse, we win 2 of the last 3 Ashes and have a little "we are gonna retain the Ashes" and we are being arrogant? yep.........
Which you lot deserved may I add. The English give it out more than anyone.
Arrogance from English supporters in general has always amazed me. I mean your sig for example is quite arrogant. I’ve seen a lot of the same thing from English soccer supporters over the last year or so, but the three lions have done nothing for decades now. Why so cocky?
Anyway, this has gone off topic far enough.
no doubt the Australian cricket team for a long time has been so far dominant its not funny but quite a few of the players have acted like wankers pretty much on the field and didnt need to. Thats my only issue with them. If someone hits you for four or misses a shot you dont need to tell them to fk off etc etc.
All other cricket sides in the world do this. Why shouldn't Australia?
Which you lot deserved may I add. The English give it out more than anyone.
Arrogance from English supporters in general has always amazed me. I mean your sig for example is quite arrogant. I’ve seen a lot of the same thing from English soccer supporters over the last year or so, but the three lions have done nothing for decades now. Why so cocky?
Anyway, this has gone off topic far enough.
They are sore winners which is the most unpleasant part. I don't know if it's because success is infrequent or what, but they can't just win, they feel the need to point, laugh at and ridicule whoever they've beaten. This is an observation I hear not just from Australians, but from South Africans, Kiwis and even Americans. It's a huge part of why they command such little respect in the sporting arena.
Anyway this is a good move from Strauss; the more he tries to keep them grounded, the better they will be in terms of application when they arrive here. And if there's one thing they're going to need plenty of when it comes to working through conditions that don't suit them, it's mental application.