Former England captain Nasser Hussain has said that England need mentally strong and fearless players in their squad as they prepare to face Australia in the upcoming Ashes series later this year. The five-match Test series will begin in November and will be played at iconic Australian venues — Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney.
Speaking on Sky Sports Cricket, Hussain said, “I do think you need tough cricketers. And I mean people who would stand up out there. When you go out there, you are not taking on 11 Australian cricketers, you are taking on a nation. You’ll get out there and the media will be on you. Within a week of landing, they will say ‘is this the worst England side ever to come?’ which was probably true in our case. Can’t bowl, can’tbat, can’t field. The headline will come out ‘Stuart Broad is a….something bloke,’” he said.
Hussain further added, “So, you are taking on them, you are taking on the public. If you look historically, the characters, not just cricketers, who have done well against Australia — Darren Gough stood up to everyone, Ian Botham, Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad. People that would not back down in a battle because that is what the Ashes is. It is a battle for however many long, however many days, and you have to be up for the fight.”
Meanwhile, Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg recently stated that they aim to surpass the record-breaking attendance numbers set during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. With opening-day tickets already sold out, the buzz around the Ashes is high.
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