Upbeat Flintoff very positive
2006-11-05 15:33
Sydney - A 22-hour flight from London via Hong Kong did little to dampen England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff's enthusiasm for the Ashes series against Australia.
"It's going to be a fantastic series. We want to get under way and stop the hype and just play," Flintoff said on Sunday about eight hours after the 16-man touring party arrived at Kingsford Smith Airport.
About 30 fans, including a small dedicated group bearing Barmy Army T-shirts and waving St George flags, met the group and cheered as the players boarded the bus to their team hotel.
Flintoff has only just resumed bowling but said he had regained full fitness after surgery in June on his troublesome left ankle.
He bowled five overs in England's last one-day international, against the West Indies during the Champions Trophy, and plans to bowl more overs during England's three warm-up matches before the first Test beginning Nov. 23 in Brisbane.
"Now I just crack on, I can get in the nets, I can bowl, I can get up to 100%," Flintoff said. "I can bowl in the warm-up games and I'm in pretty good nick, so I'm pleased with where I'm at at the moment, so it's going to be a good series."
Although it holds the Ashes - having reclaimed them last year in England for the first time since 1989 - England will start the series as underdogs behind Australia.
Looking to impress
Only four members of the England team - Marcus Trescothick, Steve Harmison, Ashley Giles and Matthew Hoggard - have played in an Ashes Test in Australia.
But Flintoff said it was a positive that most of his squad would not been affected by previous defeats.
"It's a young side which is looking to impress and looking to perform," he said. "Everything asked of them so far they've performed well in, so I'm expecting this winter to be no different."
England, who will spend three months in Australia, start their tour officially on Friday with a one-day match against the Prime Minister's XI in Canberra.
England will also play in a triangular one-day tournament with Australia and New Zealand after the fifth Test ends on Jan 6. That limited-overs series ends in February.
- SAPA