England does not want to give an inch to Australia
Trust Englishmen to give it as good as they get. English left-arm speedster Ryan Sidebottom has challenged his team to send Australia home trophyless by adding to their Ashes success with Twenty20 and one-day series wins over their oldest foes.
His words came soon after Aussie pacer Brett Lee served notice he could still be a thorn in England’s side. Both left-arm paceman Sidebottom and Lee missed England’s 2-1 Ashes triumph because of injury and the ensuing good form of other bowlers.
Both the pacers were seen in action in the washed out Twenty20 here at Old Trafford on Sunday. Sidebottom’s haul of none for 31 in four overs was respectable enough as Australia made 145 for four. Although rain meant England’s reply lasted less than two overs, there was still time for them to collapse to four for two with veteran quick Lee, in his one over, removing Twenty20 debutant Joe Denly for a duck.
The two teams will clash on Tuesday for their final Twenty20 before setting out for the ODI series against each other. Even so, a bullish Sidebottom while speaking to a news agency opined: “It would be an ideal situation to beat Australia in all forms of the game and send them home not winning anything. We are very determined in the team that we want to do that.”
“There are a lot of traditionalists and everyone wants to watch Test cricket, especially now. But they are all important. England want to be number one in all areas of the game, ” ,” said the 31-year-old Sidebottom.
While the Aussies will be busy licking their wounds, England will not want to give their opponents an inch to come out. The Twenty20 encounter between the two teams did show signs of Australian renaissance.
