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Reactions from former players and officials on the sentences after the spot-fixing trial

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2011
Michael Vaughan: “More can be done to try and catch more than just the three we’ve seen in court”•Getty ImagesFor me, there’s still a lot of questions to be answered because they weren’t exposed by any of the cricketing members; they were exposed by the . I still think the ICC could be doing a lot more than they are doing. Unfortunately, the anti-corruption unit is a pretty toothless tiger. They can’t get into the real depth of it all because they haven’t got the resources available to them. I don’t hold it against them; they’re doing the best job they possibly can. They can’t do sting operations like the , they can’t infiltrate these betting networks. They’ve tried their best.
After this case we can say that we are doing something about it and we don’t tolerate any sort of fixing, be it spot or match-fixing, or cheating. From now on, it is a very good deterrent to players, administrators and people who watch the game and try to manipulate it. I would hate to think that I’ve played in any game that we have won because it was fixed. I would rather hope that we won because we had played better.
This is a sad day for Pakistan cricket, a sad day for the cricketers and their families. I can just imagine what the families are going through. In a society where crime pays… Where this sort of thing goes on, an impressionable young man would have got swayed by it. A message has to go that crime does not pay. I feel sad for the cricketers but I feel that you have to punish crime, so that it becomes a punishment for aspirants of the corruption of cricket that crime does not play.
The real possibility of spending time in prison is a further compelling argument for players to distance themselves from those who seek to profit illegally from the game
I hope it sends a shockwave through the game and I’m delighted with the way it’s been handled. I still believe there are more out there and more can be done to try and catch more than just the three we’ve seen in court over the last few weeks.
The sentences could have been harsher. What saddens me is that the ICC didn’t take a stronger line when they had a chance. When they found these players guilty with their own investigation earlier in the year, they were only banned for five years. I don’t understand that kind of logic. If you get caught doing anything like this you should be banned for life and the ICC should get a wake-up call themselves and be more pro-active in rooting out the problem because it won’t go away without pro-active measures. Players are susceptible when they are young to being lured into this kind of thing so [the ICC] has to get the message through when young.
Absolutely the decision is a hard one for the families of the three cricketers. Justice has been done and you’ve got to get rid of the corrupt elements from the game. The verdict will act as a great deterrent for future aspirants. These big fishes need to be taken to task.
We’ve played quite a bit of cricket against them throughout the last two or three years as well, with Test series in Australia as well as over in England and some one-day series as well. I definitely didn’t suspect anything of what’s come out over the last year or so. Whether it’s jail, whether it’s a life sentence, there’s no doubt the punishments are very severe for doing the wrong thing.

There was no shortage of superlatives as England basked in the glow of their 196-run victory at Lord’s with Andrew Strauss terming their success at taking 20 wickets a near perfect effort

Andrew McGlashan at Lord's25-Jul-2011There was no shortage of superlatives as England basked in the glow of their 196-run victory at Lord’s with Andrew Strauss terming their success at taking 20 wickets a near-perfect effort and calling Kevin Pietersen’s match-defining double hundred one of the finest innings he has seen. Beating the world No. 1 side can have that effect.Strauss’s comments are hard to argue with. Except for an unusually high number of dropped catches – the captain himself was responsible for two, including missing Sachin Tendulkar today – there were few holes to pick in England’s complete performance. Some might mention about the top-order wobble in the second innings, yet the way Matt Prior led the stirring recovery only went to highlight the belief this team has.The game was set up by Pietersen and consolidated by Prior, but England’s bowlers will be rightly lauded for extracting India twice. The pitch offered a little more than recent surfaces here, yet it wasn’t one that warranted such a star-studded line-up being removed for less than 300 twice. Given the pre-match talk, Stuart Broad has understandably grabbed the attention but Chris Tremlett – who Strauss called the “real deal” after he troubled all the batsmen – was colossal in both innings and James Anderson sparked into life on the final day with devastating effect by claiming 5 for 65, including Tendulkar for the sixth time in Tests.”I think over the two innings that was as close to the perfect bowling performance we’ve had in the last two years and that is saying a lot because we have had a lot of exceptional performances,” Strauss said. “It was an outstanding effort by the whole attack over five days. You do have to work hard for your wickets here and I think it showed the value of persistent lines and lengths. That’s the only way of taking wickets here and I think we did that brilliantly.”England’s attack combined perfectly to deliver victory on the final day at Lord’s•Getty ImagesBroad’s Test future was on the line coming into this match. He was given a show of confidence by being preferred to Tim Bresnan but had to repay the faith. The end product was his finest performance in an England shirt, seven wickets in the match and an unbeaten 74, eclipsing that of The Oval in 2009 because the pitch offered him less help.”It was outstanding,” Strauss said. “When your place in the side is called into question it’s a big test of character as much as anything. Stuart showed immense character over five days. He bowled very well and his second-innings 70 was crucial to the outcome of the game. He showed his class and it was a timely reminder to everyone of what a great talent he is.”Broad could easily have been Man of the Match, especially given his half-century, but England set up their victory by surviving the truncated first day just two wickets down then building a commanding 474 as the sun began to shine. Pietersen’s unbeaten 202 was reward for battling through the tough conditions.”That first innings total was a magnificent performance and Kevin was mainly responsible for that,” Strauss said. “That was one of the great innings I’ve seen since being involved, in very difficult circumstances. He had to be smart in the way be played their seamers, he had to graft and then when we had the opportunity to attack, he attacked.”With the No. 1 spot there for the taking if England win the series by two clear Tests, comparisons are never far away with the last time they challenged for the crown in 2005. On that occasion they faded before being able to overtake Australia, but before this match Strauss was bullish that his team are now ready for the mantle and this result has supported his belief.”It’s a pretty worthless pursuit comparing teams, but what I like is that there are no obvious weaknesses in our team as was the case in 2005,” he said. “We have a good mix of youthful experience, guys who are reasonably young but quite experienced now and who know their role in the side. It’s a good recipe for success but doesn’t guarantee you anything next time you play.”That next time will be in four days at Trent Bridge and England have named an unchanged 12-man squad with Bresnan retaining his place. Tremlett suffered a small amount of pain in his hamstring during Lord’s, but didn’t appear troubled on the final day during any of his spells. India can expect another tough examination; Nottingham often provides a pitch that helps the pace bowlers.

Cam Battersby, the former Australian team manager and chairman of Queensland Cricket, has died at the age of 76

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2011Cam Battersby, the former Australian team manager and chairman of Queensland Cricket, has died at the age of 76.Battersby was the team manager on Australia’s historic tour of South Africa in 1994, the first time in nearly 30 years that an Australia team had toured there. He also managed tours of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and New Zealand.A board member of the then Australian Cricket Board from 1987 to 2002, Battersby was also the chairman of Queensland Cricket from 1993 to 2000. A doctor, Battersby was in 2000 awarded the a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his services to medicine, especially in education and research into liver transplants, and for his services to cricket administration.”Cam was a stickler for detail, a composed figure who thought deeply about issues and acted in the best interests of cricket during his lengthy time in office,” the Queensland Cricket chairman Jim Holding said. “He had a soft spot for the game in India and Sri Lanka, and kept close ties with friends in both countries.”

Glamorgan Dragons opened their Friends Life t20 campaign with a comprehensive victory over Middlesex Panthers in Cardiff

03-Jun-2011
ScorecardGlamorgan Dragons opened their Friends Life t20 campaign with a comprehensive victory over Middlesex Panthers in Cardiff but not before the match was thrown into disarray by floodlight failure.The Dragons won the toss and proceeded to score 199 for 4 – their highest ever t20 score at the ground – with skipper Alviro Petersen leading the way with 72 from 48 balls. In reply the Panthers made a good start but lost wickets at regular intervals to reach 121 for 6 after 14.5 overs when three of the four floodlights went out.After a delay of nearly 40 minutes, the players and umpires – Nigel Cowley and John Steele – appeared to have shaken hands. But the floodlights came back on and play resumed at 10.40pm with the Panthers requiring another 62 for victory from 3.1 overs.They only managed 16 of them as they were bowled out for 137 handing Glamorgan the victory by 45 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis Method.The Dragons got off to a solid start in front of a crowd of around 5,000 as opening pair Mark Cosgrove and Alviro Petersen putting on 63 for the opening wicket in 7.1 overs. The Panthers hit back when offspinner Paul Stirling had Cosgrove stumped from his first ball.But despite the loss of Cosgrove, Petersen and Jim Allenby kept the scoring rate up. Petersen struck his first T20 half-century for Glamorgan from 37 balls and with Allenby put on 82 from 55 balls before the latter holed out to long-off.Petersen also holed out to cover in the next over, but the big hitting continued apace with Chris Cooke, a 25-year-old debutant, striking three straight sixes off Steven Crook as 23 came off the penultimate over.Glamorgan then gambled by giving offspinner Robert Croft the opening over, but it failed to come off as the veteran was struck for 16 – Stirling plundering 15 of them. But Stirling went for one big shot too many and was caught at mid-on by Allenby attempting to clear the rope.The Panthers continued to keep up with the asking rate and had reached 60-0 after six overs, but the Dragons hit back with a brilliant one-handed catch by Croft removing Scott Newman (23).That set the tone for Glamorgan as the home side took wickets at regular intervals and Middlesex slipped from 87 for 3 to 116 for 6. The sixth wicket saw Graham Wagg take a brilliant catch at long-on to send Glamorgan towards the win before the floodlights went out.On their return from the light failure, Wagg and Alex Jones took two wickets each to complete a comprehensive win.

Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, was unhappy with the nature of the slow, turning Port of Spain track prepared for the one-off Twenty20 against India, and said such pitches would play into the visitors’ hands

Sriram Veera at Port of Spain04-Jun-2011Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, was unhappy with the nature of the slow, turning Port of Spain track prepared for the one-off Twenty20 against India, and said such pitches would play into the visitors’ hands.”We had the same experience against Pakistan,” Sammy said after his side’s 16-run defeat. “Even then the pitches supported them. It’s a home series but it feels like … the pitches are out of our control. We can only ask what we want but it’s up to the groundsman to prepare it.”During the 2010 World T20 West Indies defeated India in Barbados on a bouncy track. They used the short ball well to pin India back then, and Sammy said that they had asked for similar strips for this series as well. “We have requested for bouncy pitches, but as I said we don’t prepare the pitches.”Today, though, it wasn’t the pitch that defeated them. They had India wobbling at 56 for 4 from 8.4 overs but loosened their grip. It’s a trait that West Indies have been guilty of in the recent past as they have rarely controlled games through to the conclusion, and it came back to haunt them again today.”We stuck at it to start with but I would say we let them get 20 runs too many and in the end that made the difference in the match,” Sammy said. “We did some good things today but as we reflect on the match we would all agree that we let a few situations get away from us.”We have to work harder at winning those crucial situations, which can turn a match, especially in the shortest version of the game. It was a good decision to field first after winning the toss, but we didn’t restrict them to the total we wanted.”Their slow batting hurt them further and it’s bound to get tougher if they continue playing on these sluggish tracks. Their innings included fifty dot balls and it was a trend Sammy said they will have to change if they are to be more competitive. He admitted that the problem stemmed from their struggles against spin, and said they were trying to improve.”Desmond Haynes has been working hard with the batsmen,” Sammy said. “They are slowly getting better at it and we hope they will translate that hard work in the nets out in the middle. It’s about confidence and having belief in yourself against spin. You have to use your feet against the spinners. They are working hard.”Sammy praised the batting efforts efforts of Christopher Barnwell and Danza Hyatt, whose unbeaten sixth-wicket 50-run partnership, gave the hosts a glimmer of hope towards the end of their chase.”It was great to see how Barnwell played and tried his best to keep us in the hunt. He got some great help from Hyatt there at the end. It was nice to see the guys showing the confidence and self-belief required.”He was optimistic about the ODI series that starts on Monday. “Our bowling attack is looking good and the 50-over format gives more time to the batsmen. We won our last two ODIs and we shall carry that momentum forward.Sammy said the return of Kieron Pollard, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo to the one-day squad will aid in West Indies’ revival. “It’s nice to have those three experienced players back in our side. We have a bit of momentum with our one-day side after that series against Pakistan, so hopefully we can exploit that.”

Peter Drinnen, the Netherlands coach, has warned his players not to read too much into their shock World Twenty20 victory against England

Nagraj Gollapudi in Nagpur20-Feb-2011Peter Drinnen, the Netherlands coach, has warned his players not to read too much into their shock World Twenty20 victory against England when they launch their World Cup campaign against the same opponents in Nagpur. Netherlands won that famous match at Lord’s off the last ball by four wickets and six members of the team are still part of the squad, but Drinnen has stressed to his players the difference between 20- and 50-over cricket.”The big thing is at times we can get ahead of ourselves,” Drinnen said “We lack the knowledge of batting in the 50-over cricket. We need to special attention to that.” Not that Drinnen wants the Dutch to forget their maiden triumph against a full member nation. He said they can take plenty of pointers from their victory at Lord’s.”Certainly half the squad were there on that evening and they are fully aware of what is possible on any given day. I know it was a shorter version but they are going to take quite a bit of confidence out of that victory into this. I have got no doubt their confidence will spread through the group and rub off all the players.”Netherlands have been preparing for the World Cup for three weeks including a preparatory camp in Dubai followed by three warm-up matches in Sri Lanka. They won the last n against Kenya having lost the first two to Canada and Sri Lanka respectively and Drinnen believes he has a balanced squad at his disposal.”We have got a good top order. Our bowling attack is not youthful in age and probably is and inexperienced attack,” he said. “The way they have progressed in the last six months is significant. The challenge is going to be great as the wickets are flat. Bowlers know they really have to be disciplined.”If Netherlands want to improve their World Cup record, where they have managed just two victories out of 14 matches spread across the three editions, much would depend on the performances of the senior players like Bas Zuiderent, Tim de Grooth, Peter Borren and Essex allrounder Ryan ten Doeschate. “If we put up a performance we know we are capable of, we know we can cause some problems,” Drinnen said.Drinnen also cleared up doubts over the availability of Borren, the captain, who had been sidelined in the warm-up matches and could not attend the opening ceremony after suffering from a side strain but today he had his first complete workout. “He is fit but still carrying side strain. He has trained very well, had a full hit out in the field and full hit out with the bat today. We are happy with his progress. I’m confident looking at how he has performed today and he will be fine for the match.”

is edited by cricket journalist Suresh Menon and comprises 18 essays by writers who have watched Tendulkar’s career, and in some cases been a part of it

Nitin Sundar09-Feb-2011″I shudder to think what today’s coaches would have done with Sachin Tendulkar.” So begins Sanjay Manjrekar’s contribution to , the latest book on the game’s most prolific batsman, launched in Bangalore on Wednesday. It is a statement that underlines Tendulkar’s most defining characteristic – his endurance. Tendulkar has been the only constant through 21 years (and counting) of the game’s metamorphosis, and excelling in every format. After all these years at the top, with his every move analysed to death, is there anything more that can be written about Tendulkar? The answer, going by , seems to be a yes.The book, edited by eminent cricket journalist Suresh Menon, comprises 18 essays by writers who have watched Tendulkar’s career, and, in the cases of Manjrekar, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid, been a part of it. Seventeen of the 18 essays are freshly commissioned – “I was the only lazy one,” says Menon with a chuckle. Yet, as the editor of the book, his contribution is to have taken it from conception to paperback in just over seven months. Fittingly, it includes a foreword by the man who is to bowling what Tendulkar is to batting – Muttiah Muralitharan.It was also fitting that Dravid launched the book, and Kumble received the first copy: Kumble and Tendulkar held the record for the most Tests played by two cricketers together (122), until the Dravid-Tendulkar combine (currently 135) broke it. Kumble marveled at Tendulkar’s ability to master every aspect of the game he set his mind to. “Sachin just rolled his arm over, and turned the legspinner and the googly by the same huge width, while I was struggling to spin the ball,” he said. Menon recalled Kumble once saying that if Tendulkar took to legspin, he himself might have never played for India.Kumble also remembered his debut at Old Trafford in 1990, in which Tendulkar scored his first international century. “Kiran More had ordered me to keep standing on the balcony, since Tendulkar was batting well when I was there,” Kumble said. “I was allowed to sit down only after he reached his hundred, and the match was saved.”Both Kumble and Dravid also spoke of Menon’s contribution to cricket writing. Dravid recounted how he used to preserve, and be inspired, by Menon’s newspaper articles on him when he was a schoolboy cricketer. He believed this book would stand out from the crowd thanks to the sheer quality of contributors, including Peter Roebuck, Greg Baum, Harsha Bhogle and Barney Ronay. “The book is a great reflection on Tendulkar’s accomplishments, and is something youngsters taking to cricket will enjoy reading,” he said. “Chronicling good writing is not something we do very well in India, and this book is a very good start.”, published by Krab Media and Westland, is priced at Rs. 599 in India, and $16 everywhere else

ESPNcricinfo previews the second Twenty20 between Australia and England at Melbourne

The Preview by Sahil Dutta and Liam Brickhill13-Jan-2011Match FactsJanuary 14, Melbourne
Start time 19.35 (08.35 GMT)Shane Watson had an almost perfect outing at in the first Twenty20 but still came out on the losing side•Getty ImagesThe Big PictureAustralia’s one-wicket defeat in the opening Twenty20 of the two-match series summed up the season that Shane Watson and his team are having. The stand-out performer on either side, Watson added four wickets to his rollicking half-century and was named Man of the Match, but still ended up on the losing side as England squeezed home from the final ball. Such are the vicissitudes of Twenty20 cricket, where victory can often depend upon a slice of luck at the right moment. Australia’s morale will not have been helped by yet another loss to add to their recent string of disappointments.Wednesday’s match in Adelaide had the air of a new beginning for Australia, with Cameron White taking over the leadership of the T20 side and Tim Paine acting as his deputy. There were also a few fresh faces, with Aaron Finch and Steve O’Keefe, and the return of a veteran in Brett Lee, but the changes weren’t enough to secure the win Australia so desperately need. While they will hope for better in Melbourne on Friday, particularly from a sluggish middle order, England are developing a psychological hold over them that will be hard to shrug off.The visitors are, of course, world champions in this format, but several members of the team have been relegated to the sidelines for much of the Australian tour. Ajmal Shahzad and Michael Yardy were still more than competent with the ball, however, and Eoin Morgan showed no rust whatsoever as he provided backbone to the middle-order with a fluent 43. It wasn’t quite the same story with Steve Davies and Luke Wright, who survived a combined total of four deliveries, and it was left to a nerveless Chris Woakes – on England debut – to see the side home.It is surely a challenge for both teams to maintain focus on the task at hand with a World Cup just over a month away, but England are on a successful roll and Australia are headed in the opposite direction. The harder task for the hosts might be to re-discover the self-belief that makes all the difference in closely-fought games.Form guide(most recent first)
Australia LLLLL
England WWWWWWatch out for…Cameron White’s tenure as Australia’s fifth Twenty20 captain did not start ideally – making just 6 as his side slipped to a narrow defeat – but his brand of clean hitting could light up the MCG. He has had limited-overs success against England before and currently has more sixes than fours in Twenty20 cricket. A natural leader, he will be keen to stamp his authority on his first series in charge.Steve Davies only faced two balls in Adelaide. It was enough to display both his classy strengths – natural timing and flair through the off side – and weaknesses – needlessly hitting the ball in the air. He is under pressure after Matt Prior’s good showing in the Ashes but if he can find some luck early on he may take to Australia’s pacey new-ball offerings.Team newsAustralia’s power pack of vein-popping batsmen and fiery fast bowlers almost pulled off a win against England, which may be enough for White’s side to stick with the formula. If there is a change it may be in Lee being replaced by the young fast bowler James Pattinson, who could start his career on his home ground in Melbourne.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Aaron Finch, 4 David Hussey, 5 Cameron White (capt), 6 Steven Smith, 7 Tim Paine (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Steve O’Keefe, 10 Brett Lee/James Pattinson, 11 Shaun Tait.After clocking up another win, their eighth in a row, England will be in no mood to change. Especially as Ravi Bopara is not in the squad to challenge Luke Wright’s position.England (probable) 1 Ian Bell, 2 Steven Davies (wk), 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Paul Collingwood (capt), 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Luke Wright, 7 Michael Yardy, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 Ajmal Shahzad.Stats and trivia If Australia lose again they will set a new team record for the most consecutive defeats in Twenty20 cricket. Though they still have some way to go before catching Bangladesh’s unwelcome run, which currently stands at 12. Luke Wright’s second-ball 0 gave him the unwanted joint title for most ducks in a Twenty20 career.Quotes”Never in doubt.”
Chris Woakes knew something we all didn’t in that final over in Adelaide.
“When England needed a big shot they found it.”

Fresh information has emerged regarding Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte’s links to French giants Paris Saint-Germain, as well as details on Mauricio Pochettino’s links to Spurs.

The Lowdown: Conte news

According to Le Parisien (via Get French Football News), Conte has offered himself to officials at PSG on an initial two-year engagement in the hope of replacing Mauricio Pochettino, who is soon expected to be relieved of his duties as head coach, already drawing links back to N17.

However, Alasdair Gold, football.london’s Spurs reporter, has revealed that people around the Italian have suggested that the rumours are not true.

As a result, a sense of unrest has overwhelmed the ongoing preparations at Hotspur Way ahead of Sunday’s clash with Leicester City.

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The Latest: Fresh info emerges

According to a fresh report by football.london reporter Gold, there is no official break clause this summer in Conte’s deal.

At the end of the season, it is expected that the 52-year-old will meet with chairman Daniel Levy and managing director of football Fabio Paratici to discuss future plans.

Gold also reveals that previous claims of Levy holding regular contact with Pochettino are false, saying ‘those within the Argentine’s camp’ have shared that the former fan favourite exchanges only the odd pleasantry with the Spurs chief.

The Verdict: Conte is crucial to Spurs

Whilst the opening few months with the Italian in charge hardly went swimmingly, Tottenham have managed to win 13 of their 23 league matches under Conte’s reign.

As a result, the Lilywhites have cemented themselves as genuine top-four contenders in the league this season. Spurs are now up to fifth in the Premier League table, just two points behind Arsenal in fourth.

This improvement illustrates the vast changes which have positively affected the north London club’s results. Therefore, this means the news that there is no official break clause in Conte’s deal will come as a huge sigh of relief to Tottenham fans.

In other news: Tottenham Hotspur: Noel Whelan makes Joe Rodon exit claim

England’s batting coach, Graham Gooch, believes that the leadership partnership of Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower has instilled in the squad a competitive edge that has been lacking on previous tours of Australia

Andrew Miller12-Oct-2010England’s batting coach, Graham Gooch, believes that the leadership partnership of Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower has instilled in the squad a competitive edge that has been lacking on previous tours of Australia, but says that their hopes of mounting a successful defence of the Ashes for the first time in 24 years will hinge on the intensity of their preparation in the three warm-up games leading into the first Test at Brisbane on November 25.”The experience of taking on Australia is always fantastic feeling for an England player,” he told ESPNcricinfo’s Switch Hit podcast. “They have been the No. 1 side for most of the past decade, and they have a competitive spirit that some would say is unmatched by many other sides, although I do believe that England at the moment are approaching that sort of standard. The way they have been playing of late, they go with a lot of confidence, knowing the challenge ahead but relishing at the same time.”Gooch, 57, is embarking on his sixth tour of Australia, four of which came as a player between 1978-79 and 1994-95, and one as manager in 1998-99. In 1990-91, he led from the front as captain with 426 runs in four Tests including a century at Adelaide, but found that, despite forging a close bond with the coach of the time, Micky Stewart, he was unable to transfer his own formidable work ethic to the squad at large.Twenty years on from that trip, however, Gooch is confident that every man in the current England squad understands the levels of professionalism expected of them on such an arduous tour, and credits Strauss and Flower for cultivating the necessary attitude. “The two individuals have very astute cricket brains,” he said. “They are disciples of the game, they both love the game, and they are both well respected, and that’s a vital starting point for any relationship and any leadership scenario.”Both men are very fair with the players, very balanced, and they can both communicate with the players,” he added. “They know how to get the best out of each individual, and Flower in particular is very meticulous, and doesn’t leave anything to chance. Everyone in that team knows that England are only going to Australia for one reason. They are not going for the weather, they are not going for the hospitality, they are going to win the Ashes, and that will be the focus.”After an arduous season that was made all the more mentally draining by the match-fixing allegations that overshadowed the ODI series against Pakistan, the majority of England’s cricketers are currently enjoying a well-deserved break. However, with the squad set to depart for Perth on October 29, the down-time is fast coming to an end.”The players are in as good condition as they can be,” said Gooch. “The guys who play all forms only finished on September 22, so they need a few weeks off, because you can’t work every minute of the day. But in my experience of touring Australia as a player, coach and manager, you’ve got to get up to speed quick, and in past tours, we’ve started to play cricket after the first Test, if you see what I mean. You’ve got to hit it at the first Test because that sets the tone.”In terms of his day-to-day role as England’s batting coach, Gooch believes that the mental side of the job will be every bit as important as the technical. “For guys at this level, you’re not trying to reinvent their game, you just want to give them tips and good advice, and shape them in a slight direction,” he said. “I think it’s very important to keep talking to players about their game whether their confidence is low or whether they are playing really well, so that you can reinforce what it is they are doing well.”That said, there are few men in the English game who relish the hands-on nature of coaching quite like Gooch, who spent the latter stages of the 2009 season helping his Essex protégé, Alastair Cook, remodel his technique, and also spent a week at Lord’s this summer working one-on-one with Kevin Pietersen. In recent months, he has added a new weapon to his coaching armoury, a plastic throwing arm called the Sidearm, which has been developed by a local entrepreneur in Essex, and with which Gooch spent many a happy hour beasting his charges in the nets.”It’s a bit like a dog-ball thrower,” he explained. “It’s just like giving normal throwdowns, except it imparts more pace and is more realistic for a net session. People say it saves your arm, and that is one aspect, but because the ball comes out quicker, and swings as well, it gives the net session more intensity. In the past, England have practised using Merlin [the spin bowling machine] and all that, but those are not exactly easy to carry around.”Nothing, however, will be more important to England’s preparations than the three warm-up games at Perth, Adelaide and Hobart, the first of which gets underway at the WACA on November 5. “Middle practice is invaluable,” said Gooch. “The England team’s work ethic and attitude to preparation has been first-class since I’ve been involved, but you only get confidence from scoring runs and taking wickets, and as a batsman, you need to get your feet moving, and see the ball going between fielders.”You need to play solid defensive shots, and leave the ball well,” he added. “Your judgment needs to be good, and you need to hone that in the middle, because that’s where your confidence comes from. As a batsman you don’t lose your ability, what you lose sometimes is your confidence in that ability, and confidence plays a big part in life, not just cricket. Do you feel good about yourself, and are you in the right frame of mind?”Pietersen is one notable batsman whose confidence has been down in recent months, and his Ashes preparations began this week with the first of two first-class fixtures for the Durban-based Dolphins in South Africa. In general terms, however, Gooch is convinced that the batsmen who has been chosen for the Ashes are ready for the challenge, despite a Test series against Pakistan in which ball dominated bat to an often dramatic degree.”I have a great belief in the collective skills of this batting unit,” he said. “The English conditions this summer were conducive to fast bowling in particular, and there were some low-scoring games, which often produce exciting Test matches. It’s fair to say they’ll need to be at their best to beat Australia in their own conditions, but those conditions will be slightly different. There will be more bounce and carry, but the wickets themselves will be flatter, and you’ve got to get runs on the board to be competing in each Test.”