Showing posts with label The Ashes 2009. Show all posts
The Ashes 2009 - Pietersen thrilled by Ashes talent pool
Monday, June 1, 2009
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| Related Links Player/Officials: Ravi Bopara | Kevin Pietersen Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20 | Australia tour of England Teams: Australia | England | ||
Kevin Pietersen is confident that England's Ashes hopes hinge not just on stars like himself and Andrew Flintoff following the emergence of several strong new players. Neither Pietersen nor Flintoff was available for the recent one-day series against West Indies, which England won convincingly, and Pietersen believes the same balance will be present in the Ashes squad.
"England are not relying on one or two players," Pietersen said. "If you look at Australia during their good times, if [Matthew] Hayden didn't perform, [Adam] Gilchrist did, and the best thing about what's happening now is that if I fail like I did when I got a first-baller at Lord's, we still got a decent total."
Ravi Bopara has been a revelation in England's top order this year, having scored centuries in all three of his Tests against West Indies. Pietersen said it was fantastic to have an in-form Bopara in the squad ahead of the Ashes.
"I've actually been quite annoyed when people have said the likes of Ravi are my rivals to counter the Australians," he said. "I am with Ravi all day every day, I love the bloke, his confidence, the way he plays without fear, the way he talks about things and the way he doesn't worry.
"I love his approach and it's something a lot of the players can learn from. [Stuart] Broad has been exceptional, Matty Prior is somebody who has improved so much as well and James Anderson produced a brilliant display at Durham the other day."
Pietersen's lead-in to the Ashes includes the ICC World Twenty20 and he said his fitness was not in doubt for the event despite his recent Achilles tendon injury. Pietersen will be keen to rectify his Twenty20 reputation - he said during the 2007 tournament he had played silly shots for a silly game - and he has no doubt of the importance of the event these days.
"We are playing here to win a World Cup," he said. "We have never won a world tournament so this is of the utmost importance. But I think a lot of us are behind the Indian players and the South Africans because we haven't played as much."
Players and WAGs head to camp
Friday, May 22, 2009
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Australia's players go into camp on Sunday in preparation for the World Twenty20 and the Ashes, but the engagement will carry a new vibe with partners being involved in the four-day programme. There's no military component to match the activities ordered by John Buchanan ahead of the previous England contest and cricket will also be missing as they kick-start the next stage of their gruelling campaign.
Partners of the 25 contract holders can attend a tailored session on how families cope when the player is regularly away for long periods. Crammed itineraries are a constant complaint from team members and the Australian Cricketers' Association and the side is currently in the middle of more than 18 months on the road.
Counsellors, including Andrew Symonds' therapist Deidre Anderson, will speak to the players and their partners in a welfare session covering the demands placed on them by the travel-heavy job. "It's a workshop and will deal with the unique lifestyle," the Cricket Australia spokesman Peter Young said. "It recognises that the problem is not just for players, but for their partners and kids, as well as the management staff who work with the team."
Another session will involve the squad being told the public's perception of the outfit following research commissioned by Cricket Australia. The original data was requested after the heated series with India in 2007-08 and was followed up with another study this year. "It found that 81% of people thought the players were good role models for children," Young said.
Contract meetings, where the individual's rankings in the 25-man group will be discussed, will be held along with medical tests and lectures on drug policies and corporate responsibilities. The 16-man Ashes squad will also autograph 100 bats as required under their tour contracts. The camp finishes on the Sunshine Coast on Wednesday before the Twenty20 squad departs for England to prepare for their opening match against West Indies at The Oval on June 6.
