Brisbane, Nov. 24: Skipper Andrew Strauss said on Wednesday he was confident his players could pull off ‘something pretty special’ and win England’s first Ashes series in Australia in a generation.
The five-Test series gets underway on Thursday with England chasing their first victory at the Brisbane Gabba fortress since Mike Gatting’s team last prevailed on their way to the tourists’ last Australian series victory in 1986/87.
Strauss said his team was well prepared from three tour lead-up games in Australian conditions and was ready to lay down a marker in the all-important first match against Ricky Ponting’s under pressure home team.
Australia have not won a Test since July, slipping below England in the world rankings, and are battling injuries and loss of form affecting key players.
Australia had some good news on Wednesday about their vice-captain Michael Clarke, who has satisfied medical staff over a back injury which flared in a recent Sheffield Shield game.
“Just finished training and the back got through,” Clarke wrote on his Twitter feed Wednesday. “Wake up ok tomorrow and I’m in.”
While welcoming his deputy’s all-clear, Ponting said that paceman Doug Bollinger had been left out and would be released along with Clarke’s standby Usman Khawaja to play for NSW in Perth this weekend. “It’s probably his lack of bowling over the last few weeks that has been as much to do with it.”
Australia will go into the first Test with three pacemen, Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle, along with allrounder Shane Watson while left-arm orthodox spinner Xavier Doherty is in line to make his Test debut. “We feel this attack has enough to take us 20 wickets at the Gabba,” Ponting said.