Oct. 28: Australia captain Ricky Ponting has warned England’s cricketers and fans not to expect an easy tour Down Under, besides asking them not to forget to pack the Ashes when they fly out to their homeland on Friday.
“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,” Ponting said in a Cricket Australia statement.
“Our message is clear — we’re prepared and we’re ready so Bring on the Ashes!,” the skipper, who has twice lost the Ashes as the Australian captain, added.
Ponting and his deputy Michael Clarke had their images projected on to the tower of Big Ben together on Thursday as a part of an advertising campaign ahead of the forthcoming Ashes series which begins in Brisbane on November 25.
Clarke also echoed his captain’s sentiments, saying: “The Ashes is the ultimate cricket battle between our nations and this year will be no exception. 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.”