'Pie-chucker' Yuvraj ready to face England

New Delhi: India's Yuvraj Singh said on Wednesday he is keen to renew his rivalry with Kevin Pietersen on the upcoming tour of England after being called a "pie-chucker" by the England batsman a few years ago.

"I know that guy well and I am really keen to throw some more pies at him and others around him," Yuvraj told the Indian Express newspaper.

"And if my pies can contribute and get Pietersen's and some other valuable wickets, I would be really delighted."

The Indian batsman and left-arm spinner, who returned to the squad for the England tour after recovering from injury, was called a "pie-chucker" by Pietersen during a home Test series in 2008.

One-day specialist Yuvraj, in and out of the Test squad since making his international debut in 2000, said the tour would be an opportunity for him to cement his place in the team for the longer-format.

"Test cricket is one area I would like to improve and do well. I want to be a permanent member of the Test side and I know that won't be easy," said Yuvraj, who has so far played 274 one-dayers but only 34 Tests.

"I will do whatever I can do to strengthen my Test records. The England tour will be one of the biggest challenges in my career but in every challenge there is an opportunity and that's how I would like to see things from here."

Yuvraj said the four-Test series, starting at Lord's on July 21, would be highly competitive as the Ashes-winning England side would be hard to beat on home soil.

"England is a very good team and of late they have achieved some tremendous results as a Test side, so beating them at home would be a big task," he said.

"But we also have a very good and experienced side to combat them. Our overseas record also has improved a lot in the recent times. I am sure this is going to be a very competitive series."

India named a full-strength squad, with batsmen Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, and pacemen Zaheer Khan and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth returning after missing the ongoing Test series in the West Indies.

India, who won their last Test series in England in 2007 under Rahul Dravid, will also play five one-day internationals a one-off Twenty20 match during the tour.

England arrives for Ashes with cautious captain

Perth: England's cricket team arrived Down Under on Saturday for a five-match Ashes tour with its captain Andrew Strauss taking a cautious approach to the opposition.

Strauss said England would not target any members of the Australian team, including struggling captain Ricky Ponting, when the series begins with the first Test November 25 in Brisbane. England holds the Ashes after a 2-1 series win in England last year.

"I don't know what his (Ponting's) state of mind is but one thing I do know is we're not in the business of targeting opposition players," Strauss said. "My past experience is that if you say too much about opposition teams, it can come back and haunt you."

"We expect Australia to be very strong. Their record here is very good. When you're out here, you can't afford any passengers in your side, so you need all 11 to be performing and standing up at the right time."
Strauss' comments were in contrast to the ones made several days earlier when the team left England.

"I'm not sure about not being able to say hello to them, but until the end of that fifth test there's two sides at war with each other," Strauss said in London. "Both sides know that at the end of the series there's going to be 11 guys feted as heroes and 11 guys who failed in their task. Until that final Test is over there's no point being too hunky-dory or friendly with the opposition. Our task is to go out there and try to beat them."

Australia has slipped one spot below England to fifth in the ICC Test rankings but England has not taken a series Down Under since 1986-87 and has won just three of its last 26 Ashes tests in Australia - all when the outcome had already been decided.

Sachin inspires to keep going: Hussey

Perth: Australia batsman Mike Hussey is taking inspiration from India's Sachin Tendulkar and has no plans to retire from cricket.

Hussey's place in Australia's Test side has come under increasing pressure, with just two centuries since the start of 2009 spurring talk that the 35-year-old should be phased out of the team.

But after watching 37-year-old Tendulkar scored his sixth double century and take his career tally past 14,000 runs in a 2-0 India Test series win over Australia, Hussey said "it does give you a bit of inspiration."

Tendulkar scored 214 in the first innings of the second Test — his 49th Test century — and took his series aggregate to 403 runs, at an average of 134.5.

Hussey said he was also encouraged by the late career performances of fellow Australian players.

"Steve Waugh played quite late into his 30s, Matthew Hayden played very well, Justin Langer played very well into his late 30s. So I don't think age is a barrier whatsoever," Hussey told AustralianAssociated Press.

"It's about whether you're up for the battle, you're enjoying the challenge out in the middle."

Hussey will make a rare appearance for Western Australia in their Sheffield Shield state game against South Australia, starting Friday at Adelaide Oval, and the November 17-20 match against Victoria in Melbourne.

The left-hander, who in between will play for Australia in the three-match one-day series against Sri Lanka, said the domestic games were vital for his Ashes preparation.

The first of five Ashes Tests against England begins on November 25 in Brisbane.

Pietersen is our biggest talent: Strauss

England captain Andrew Strauss says John Buchanan is "off the mark" to say Kevin Pietersen has the potential to be a divisive influence for the Ashes tourists.

Former Australian coach Buchanan says Pietersen, who was dropped by England during their home Test summer, "has the potential to be fragmentary and an individualist" and could be a "major problem".

But Strauss says Pietersen is England's most talented batsman.

The skipper says he's certain Pietersen will be picked for the first Test in Brisbane on November 25 and has backed the right-hander to have another big Ashes tour.

South Africa-born Pietersen averaged 54.44 in a side beaten 5-0 in Australia four years ago.

NSW quick Brett Lee has also backed Pietersen to do well, warning his former Test team-mates to avoid getting into a slanging match with the big-hitting batsman.

"Kevin Pietersen has never been a problem for the England cricket team," Strauss said on Tuesday.

"Buchanan is off the mark to say that - I'm sure Kevin will come to the party."

Pietersen, 30, has hit 16 Test hundreds but none since March 2009.

"We all know what sort of character he is, we know these sort of big Ashes series tend to bring out the best in him and to me that's very encouraging," Strauss enthused.

"He's been out of form - that happens to all of us - and anyone who's played international cricket for any length of time knows it only takes one innings to get yourself back in form.

"For Kevin it might be one of the first-class games that precede the Ashes, it may be in the first Test match, but he'll come right - he's too good a player not to.

"Pietersen is our most talented batsman, and in the past a big game player, so I'd play him down under.

"I don't have any concerns that he's going to come right. The key is that he hopefully hits that first Test feeling in great form and ready to make his mark on an Ashes series."

Lee says Pietersen relies on "controlled aggression".

"Pietersen ... likes it when someone has a chat to him," said Lee, who has retired from Tests but has ambitions to play in next year's one-day World Cup.

"He takes it personally and it fires him up and he'll want to score a big hundred," the 76-Test veteran told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.

"He's a class act. He will do well and I hope he does put on a good show.

"He might be a slightly different character to the norm ... (but) I'd always back Kevin Pietersen to come out and do well."

Meanwhile Strauss admitted England's training-camp boxing session which reportedly led to pace bowler Jimmy Anderson's cracked rib "wasn't ideal".

"It was designed to test us, to bind us closer together, to go through shared experiences together, and that's what we went through," Strauss told the BBC website.

"Jimmy's going to be fine. Clearly no one wants to see anyone get injured during those sort of things."

Strauss said Anderson was on target to be fit for the Gabba Test.

English squad for the Ashes 2010 announced

The English side for the Ashes series against the Aussies has been named and the presence of Chris Tremlett and Monty Panesar are the only two new additions to the expected side. it is a 16-member side and will see the English side take on Australia in a five-match series.

The first Test match starts from November 25 at the Gabba in Brisbane. This will be followed by tests at Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.

The batting will be propped up by the presence of Andrew Straussand Alastair Cook at the top of the innings, and Jonathon Trott and Kevin Pietersen will follow next up. Pietersen may not have been in the best of form, but his presence will fire up the team and if he gets going, one can expect a big one from his bat.

Eoin Morgan, Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell make up the rest of the three batsmen, and one expects two of these three to feature in the series. Collingwood has not been n a great touch while Bell recovers from his fractured foot to get a place in the side.

The bowling will be overseen by four fast bowlers and two spinners. Panesar will join Graeme Swann as the second spinner in the side. Swann should be selected in all the games and Panesar may make the playing eleven if either Swann is injured, or in the Sydney test match which will probably necessitate the use of spinners.

The pace bowlers will constitute James Anderson and Stuart Broad to lead the attack with one of Steve Finn, Tremlett or Tim Bresnan to be the third bowler.

There are also two wicket-keepers in the side; Steven Davies andMatt Prior. While prior should be the first-choice keeper, Davies' presence will put pressure on him to start off well in the series.

According to the English selector, Geoff Miller, "We believe we've selected an outstanding Test squad for what will be a fiercely contested Ashes series in Australia," He also added that to win the Ashes, they will need to play at their best, and had the squad to just do that.

England Team:
AJ Strauss (captain), IJL Trott, KP Pietersen, PD Collingwood, AN Cook, EJG Morgan, IR Bell, MJ Prior (wkt), SM Davies (wkt), GP Swann, JC Tredwell, JM Anderson, ST Finn, SCJ Broad, A Shahzad, CT Tremlett.

England had won the previous Ashes series in England but had lost to Australia 0-5 in Australia

Tremlet and Panesar earn Ashes calls

Chris Tremlett and Monty Panesar have been recalled to the England squad for the Ashes tour, but Ajmal Shahzad misses out on the main 16-man party and will instead travel with the performance team. The positions of final pacemen and second spinner were the only ones up for grabs among a settled unit, with Tremlett's height and Panesar's previous Test experience being the deciding factors.

It had been expected that Shahzad had done enough in his few appearances this season, particularly with his use of reverse swing, to make the final cut but the selectors have opted to send him with the second string, while Tim Bresnan goes in the main group to provide allrounder cover. However, Shahzad will fly out with the full party on October 29 for the warm-up period before moving to the performance side ahead of the Brisbane Test. The rest of the squad provoked very little debate with Steve Davies being rewarded for his successful one-day form with the back-up keeper role.

However, the two players to gain most from the announcement are Tremlett and Panesar after periods in the international wilderness. Tremlett last appeared in 2008 - but hasn't played a Test since his successful debut series against India in 2007 - while Panesar has been ignored since his famous rearguard with the bat alongside James Andeson against Australia, at Cardiff, last year.

Tremlett enjoyed a resurgent season with Surrey having joined from Hampshire, taking 48 Championship scalps at 20.18. Six weeks ago he was in prime form and although he tailed off towards the end of the summer he earned strong reviews. Tremlett has always had the attributes to be a Test-match fast bowler, but has had to battle against a perception that his character is suspect under pressure. Although he will start outside the first XI, any injuries to the pace attack will give him the chance to prove his detractors wrong.

Panesar, meanwhile, moved from Northamptonshire to Sussex for the 2010 season in an attempt to revive his England career and he enjoyed a successful summer with 52 Championshop wickets at 25.53. The other contenders as back-up for Graeme Swann were James Tredwell, the Kent offspinner who made his Test debut against Bangladesh in Dhaka earlier this year, and Adil Rashid who had an impressive all-round season with Yorkshire which brought 732 runs at 45.75 alongside 57 wickets at 31.29.

But, in one of the most surprising selections, Rashid has not only missed the main squad but also the performance side that will be based in Brisbane and Perth alongside the Ashes party. Tredwell, and the 19-year-old Hampshire left-arm spinner Danny Briggs, are the two slow bowlers acting as support to Swann and Panesar.

"We believe we've selected an outstanding Test squad for what will be a fiercely contested Ashes series in Australia," Geoff Miller, the national selectors, said. "In order to retain the Ashes we will need to play to a very high level and we believe we've selected a squad to do just that.

"Clearly there are always difficult decisions to make when selecting an England squad and this Ashes squad was no different. We feel that Chris Tremlett's inclusion will add a real threat of pace and bounce to our bowling attack given the conditions in Australia. Chris will be vying for a place in the final team amongst a confident attack including James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and Steven Finn.

"We feel that following an excellent season with Sussex Monty Panesar deserves his opportunity to assume the role as England's second spinner behind Graeme Swann. Monty has gone away and worked on his bowling since his last England appearance and he continues to be an attacking threat with the ball in his hand."

The performance squad includes those who have been around England squads in recent times - Tredwell, Michael Carberry, and Liam Plunkett - along with some of the strongest performers from the domestic season including Jimmy Adams, the Hampshire opener, James Taylor from Leicestershire, Yorkshire's Adam Lyth and Warwickshire's allrounder Chris Woakes. There is also a place for Ben Stokes, the Durham allrounder, who was born in New Zealand but Ravi Bopara doesn't make it and will instead play first-class cricket in South Africa.

The performance side will be based in Brisbane from November 13 where it will play a four-day match against a Queensland XI (November 25-28) before relocating to Perth on November 29 to play a Western Australia XI (December 7-10) and they will remain in Perth for the lead up to the third Ashes Test before returning to the UK on December 16.

David Parsons, the ECB performance director, said: "The England Performance Programme provides an excellent opportunity for those players identified as having considerable talent to train together in an England environment throughout the winter and further develop as cricketers.

"The time spent at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough and Australia allows our national lead coaches to work intensively with the players and assess their readiness to graduate to the full England side when the opportunity arises. It has been very pleasing to see the likes of Jonathan Trott, Eoin Morgan, Steven Finn and Steve Davies who have all spent time on the programme in recent years, go on to play important roles for England."

Ashes squad Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior, Steve Davies, Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Chris Tremlett, Monty Panesar

Performance squad Jimmy Adams, Jonny Bairstow, Danny Briggs, Michael Carberry, Maurice Chambers, Jade Dernbach, Andrew Gale, James Hildreth, Craig Kieswetter, Adam Lyth, Liam Plunkett, Ajmal Shahzad, Ben Stokes, James Taylor, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes

Central contracts Andrew Strauss, James Anderson, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Steven Finn, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott

Incremental contracts Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Eoin Morgan, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy