paul collingwood

England T20 captain Paul Collingwood has his sights firmly on creating a new international World record of eight consecutive wins when he leads the T20 team out in Adelaide on Wednesday in the first of two matches against Australia.

The England team started their brilliant run in the T20World Cup in the Caribbean last year, culminating in a seven wicket victory over the Australian’s in the final.

Having retained the Ashes last week with a 3-1 series win, England are on top of their game and will feel that anything is possible in any format of the game, it has after all been a sensational year for our cricketers with the Ashes and World Cup victories.

Selecting the eleven to play in Adelaide may present more of an headache for Collingwood than he would like, but in their current mood everyone in the squad will fancy their chances with bat and ball as well as in the field.

Collingwood has suggested that Ian Bell may well be recalled for the T20 matches having found his form once again in Australia, despite last having played in the short game three years ago.

It is a luxury that the captain can easily live with and he said “It’s going to be interesting in the next couple of days what side we go in with. It’s good to see guys that are waiting in the wings are in great form.”

Australia meanwhile will be captained by Cameron White with only Steve Smith, Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson retaining their places for the T20 games.

Brett Lee and Shaun Tait will spearhead the bowling attack for the Aussies with fast bowler James Pattinson likely to make his debut.

Wright was struck on the toe while batting against a bowling machine at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough and has had to have stitches in the wound and will now be assessed ahead of the day/night game at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.

Captain Andrew Strauss who has been the only shining light with the bat during the One Day series has called upon the other England batsman to stand up and be counted, following the pitiful form that has been seen throughout the first four games.

Indeed Strauss remains the only England batsman that can look back over both the Ashes and ODI games with any sort of pride, the skipper has led from the front throughout the summer.

But questions need to be asked of the others in the England team, the selectors and management and possibly even of Strauss’s own abilities as captain as they continue to capitulate against a determined Australian side.

The absence of Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff has left a massive void in the England team, both are larger than life characters who can lift those around them, something obviously not lost on the England captain, who says;

“Other people have to stand up. In a good, functioning one-day team you have got match-winners everywhere. The top six all have to be capable of getting one-day international hundreds – and hundreds generally win you games.”

In the Aussie camp meanwhile there are no such problems and stand in coach Troy Cooley is talking up the prospect a faster meaner Brett Lee featuring in the remaining games of the series. After taking 5 for 49 in a ferocious spell at Lord’s with deliveries around 95mph, Cooley says there is more to come from the pace bowler who is expected to break the 100mph mark.

Terrible news for an England attack that simply had no answer to the ferocity of Lee’s bowling and Strauss apart, had little idea of what to do with the bat!

England head into the one-day series buoyed by the Ashes triumph and captain Andrew Strauss urged his players to use that success as inspiration as they look to build consistency into their one-day cricket. Consistency in One Day International cricket has not been a strong point for the England team and they will be looking to address the problem with a string of positive results.

Strauss has given his backing to Ravi Bopara who is drafted into the team following an injury to the Kent opening batsman Joe Denly during  a pre match football game amongst the England squad yesterday.

Bopara was dropped for the final Ashes test following some poor performances with the bat during the series where he struggled to average 15 runs over seven innings. The Essex batsman responded to being dropped for the Ashes match by returning to his county game with a splendid double hundred over Surrey.

Going into the ODI series Australia will need no more incentive than their own recent memories of the Ashes and will be led by Michael Clarke for the first three matches while regular captain Ricky Ponting takes a well earned break.

Fast bowler Brett Lee is fired up and set to return to the team after injury robbed him of a place in the Ashes team. Lee may not pose the threat he did a few years back but his hunger for victory and his very presence is intimidating enough for most opposition.

There is nothing quite like One Day International cricket, a mini test match with all the excitement contained within one day, where do or die is the order of the day, with both World rankings and national pride at stake.

The seven match series takes place at various grounds around the country and tickets for the One Day Internationals are currently on sale for all venues.

The One Day International Series Fixtures:

Friday 4th September, Day/Night, Kennington Oval, London

Sunday 6th September, Day, Lords, London

Wednesday 9th September, Day/Night, Rose Bowl, Southampton

Saturday 12th September, Day, Lords, London

Tuesday 15th September, Day/Night, Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Thursday 17th September, Day/Night, Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Sunday 20th September, Day, Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street

One Day Internationals Ticket Information
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England

Trott’s Warwickshire team mate Ian Bell, himself a late call up to replace injured Kevin Pietersen, will move up the order and bat at number three for England in the final Ashes test match of the series.

Trott has given credit to former Warwickshire cricketer Ashley Giles for his call up. Giles who featured in the England Ashes triumph four years ago is now one of the England selectors. He was previously director of cricket at the county club in 2007 and Trott recalls;

“We sat down when he was appointed as head coach and set out a plan for the future, compiled a list of my strong points and my weak points, and that gave me a direction of how to get back into the (England) team. I am not saying I am a different person now but I do approach the game a bit differently. It seems to be working because I have been pretty successful.”

Trott has scored 1046 first class this year with an average in excess of 80.

Australia have called up wicket keeper Tim Paine as cover for the reserve Graham Manou who injured his hand at Edgbaston while deputising for Brad Haddin. The Australians have made it clear that Paine’s call  is purely a precautionary measure and are expecting Haddin to be passed fit for the test match.

While he is unlikely to be selected, Brett Lee was back bowling against the England Lions at Canterbury at the weekend and ended up as the pick of the Aussie bowlers with 3 for 37.

An unusual event made for the highlight of the day in Kent when a seagull swooped on one of the bails, dislodged when Lee clean bowled Liam Plunkett. Lee gave chase after the bird but it escaped after doing a lap of the ground leaving the umpires to call for replacement bails.

Brett Lee

Lee says he is 100% fit and that he has been totally focused on his fitness regime, saying “Hopefully I’ve done everything I can to prove I am ready to go. I’m confident if I was called upon to play I would be able to get through. If it was a different injury, you might think differently. But the way I’ve felt, I’ve done the preparation and it’s been a minor setback. Hopefully I’ve passed that, bowling eight days straight and can prove that I can stand up and am ready to go.”

There is no guarantee that Lee will be chosen to play in the fourth test, but Australia will consider it long and hard, without a doubt.

Meanwhile injury stricken Andrew Flintoff opted not to bowl in today’s practise session, choosing to swing the bat only. England say it is only a precautionary measure to ensure the all rounder does no further damage to himself.

third ashes test edgbaston

England’s all round hero Andrew Flintoff is putting himself through an intensive fitness programme to ensure that he can heap the pressure on the Australian team in the third Ashes test at Edgbaston.

Despite collecting the Man of the Match award for his performance at Lord’s in the second test, Flintoff has been struggling with a persistent knee injury which has been causing worry in the England camp.

Flintoff is undergoing treatment on the troublesome knee and has revealed that he has been sleeping with a special compression machine on the injury. “It gets in the way a little bit. It wraps around my knee and it compresses it, half an hour on, half an hour off, throughout the night.” says the England player.

He added: “Last week I bowled in some discomfort. But I managed to bowl my overs and get through. I managed to bowl at a decent pace so I’ll hopefully prove this afternoon that I’m fine and hopefully the weather will keep away on Thursday at Edgbaston.”

England fans will be looking for a match winning performance from Flintoff, especially after losing favourite batsman Kevin Pietersen to injury last week.

Australia’s Brett Lee has again been ruled out for the third test match in a row and although he is making some progress may miss out on the entire series.

The bowler has missed training with his Australian team mates today and has instead visited hospital for a scan on the injury. The results of the scan will not be known until Monday night at the earliest, possibly as late as Tuesday morning.

Lee had taken seven for 114 in the game against England Lions, with a performance that had seemingly put him into pole position to lead the Australian bowling attack alongside Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle.

England batsman Kevin Pietersen, himself just returning to full fitness after an Achilles injury says if it is true that Lee is ruled out, Australia will miss not only the fastest bowler in the world, but also his experience in the dressing room and of course the Brett Lee intimidation factor on the pitch.