Strauss is Confident

 Andrew Strauss, England cricket captain, looks very confident with his side for the first ashes. Strauss is looking forward to Wednesday when England play Australia.

He will be taking his team to Cardiff and has said that "An Ashes series is different to everything else. "With the tradition, history and great battles of the past, this is what everyone wants to be involved in. It's like the football World Cup for us. "It means a lot to the England players and we are treating it in that way."

The team have not been named as of yet however Ian Bell will not be playing. He was recently released from the squad and is now playing for Warwickshire. Strauss has a lot of confidence for Andrew Flintoff who showed his all round talent four years ago. Flintoff has done his part for the England team and was there to support the dismal performance in 2006. The team, which he captained, lost 5-0 to Australia however Strauss has said it makes him more determined.

"Freddie has settled in brilliantly and is very motivated to play well in this series," added Strauss. "It's great to see him with the bit between his teeth - he feels as though he has some unfinished business." Flintoff has been off from cricket for a while now and believes that it was the ashes that spurred him to recover faster. "The Ashes is in the back of your mind," admitted the 31-year-old. "When I was in the gym and trying to get back to fitness, it was all about playing in the Ashes. "The reason you do all the rehab is to put on that England shirt, to get the chance to play in an Ashes series. "I'd have loved to have played in the Twenty20 World Cup because it is a great tournament, but the ultimate is the Ashes. "You can have any other tournament you want but to have the chance to play in the Ashes is everything. It is the biggest thing for an Englishman to play in."

Strauss wants a strong start to the Ashes to give the English team a positive start. "You definitely want early momentum in a series like this because once you go behind it's hard to pull it back," added Strauss. "I guess both teams are looking to gain some early confidence and you can only do that by playing some good cricket."

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