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THE ASHES: Australia "expecting a really tough series"

Monday, June 22 2015 by SNTV
  • Intro:

    Australia captain Michael Clarke on Sunday (21 June) dismissed criticism of his Ashes squad from former players Graeme Swann and Jason Gillespie and said that whatever brand of cricket England will try to play, Australia will be ready as he looked forward to do battle against the 'auld enemy' at the team base north of London.

    Script:

    1. 00:00 Pan of Australia squad stretching

    3. 00:18 Wide of Australian squad members running - captain Michael Clarke (white cap on left), David Warner (centre) and Steve Smith (white cap right)

    4. 00:35 SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Clarke, Australia captain:

    "I've said for a long time, I think England have a very strong team. They have got a lot of talent and they love playing in their own conditions, so we're expecting a really tough series against a team that will come out quite hard against us and if they decide to play that kind of positive brand, then we will be prepared for that, but I think the most important thing is that you've got a team who's got players in plenty of form, plenty of cricket under their belt, playing in conditions that they are accustomed to, against a team which is very exited to be back in England and look forward to the challenge ahead."

    5. 01:12 Australian squad members running - bowlers Ryan Harris (left), Mitchell Johnson (centre) and Josh Hazlewood (right)

    6. 01:29 SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Clarke, Australia captain:

    "Yeah, that's probably our greatest challenge as a team, to be honest. Obviously I haven't won in England in my career in the Test matches, and this team hasn't had that success. We played some really good cricket together, especially in Australia and I've spoken a lot about us trying to be more consistent away from home, so we played well against the West Indies. It was nice to win those two Test matches and, you know, we've got a huge challenge now with these five Tests."

    7. 01:58 Various of Steve Smith in the nets

    8. 02:13 SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Clarke, Australia captain:


    "(laughs)... I think 'Swannie' is a beauty. I've always liked him, I've always loved playing cricket against him. I'm sure he's just trying to get under the skin of a few of the players... oh, it's not what you say, it's what you do. We'll find out in five Test matches' time. We'll find out if Steve Smith is good enough to have success over here."

    9. 02:38 Steve Smith in the nets

    10. 02:54 SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Clarke, Australia captain:

    "Yeah, Smithy is... like a lot of the young players, I think David Warner's another one, Nathan Lyon, you look at our pace attack. I think a lot of our young players have come a long way over the past couple of years. I think their performances have been outstanding. I think the senior players deserve a lot of credit for helping to mentor those guys and helping them through the tough times, and I think we're seeing the benefit of that as a group now, so... they will play a big role throughout this series, there is no doubt about it. I think the youth and enthusiasm that we get from those younger players is vital to our squad. Then the experience of the senior players is crucial to the squad as well, so hopefully that perfect mix comes together and we're able to have success."

    11. 03:45 Michael Clarke in the nets

    12. 03:55 SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Clarke, Australia captain:

    "I'm confident that it will be played in the right spirit. Like I've said, both teams will play hard. I know I probably say this every series, but we respect that there is a line that we can't cross... both teams might 'head butt' that line, but I'm confident that we won't overstep the mark."

    13. 04:17 Australia squad with coaching staff

    14. 04:23 SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Clarke, Australia captain:

    "I'm not sure. I've copped criticism my whole career, so it's not surprising to me. Yeah, there's a long list of people who've criticised this team, that's for sure, so we might just add 'Dizzy' (Jason Gillespie) to that queue of people we continue to prove wrong."

    15. 04:40 Mitchell Starc bowling

    16. 04:52 SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Clarke, Australia captain:

    "Yeah, look, I think TB (Trevor Bayliss) is a lovely guy and I wish him all the best. I think he'll be great for England, for any team he coaches. He coached me for a long time at New South Wales and like I say, he's a lovely guy. So I think he will bring out the best in the England players."

    17. 05:10 Mitchell Johnson bowling

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