Michael Clarke urges team not to get carried away by next year’s Ashes
Michael Clarke said, “The reality is, if we don’t perform as a team now, you don’t even worry about the Ashes because you’re not on that trip” © AFP
By CricketCountry Staff
London: Jun 19, 2012
Australia skipper Michael Clarke has warned his teammates that they could miss out on next year’s Ashes by over-focusing on it, as they prepare for a five-match One-Day International (ODI) series, which is tipped as a trailer to the 2013 Ashes in England.
Clarke said, “The reality is, if we don’t perform as a team now, you don’t even worry about the Ashes because you’re not on that trip.”
Clarke emphasised on the need to maintain focus on the job at hand. He said, “It’s important for us as a group to not get too carried away with the Ashes.”
“Yes, it is the pinnacle as a Test cricketer. It’s in the back of your mind, but we’ve got a lot of cricket in front of us where we’re going to have to perform individually and as a team, before we even worry about the Ashes,” Clarke was quoted as saying by stuff.co.nz
The half of the touring Australian side has no experience of playing one-day cricket in England, which could be a challenge for the top-ranked ODI team.