November 09 Saturday 2002
Aussies not complacent, says Warne 

BRISBANE: Champion legspinner Shane Warne denied Friday that the Australians had been complacent going into the second day of the Ashes Test with England, after the vistors staged a strong fightback. 

Warne said the media may have written off England's Ashes series chances after their awful opening day here, but the Australian players had not. Warne was responding after England hit back to take eight wickets for 128 and dismiss the Australians for 492, and then be 158 for one at stumps. 

"We weren't saying the Ashes were over, you guys (press) might of, but we didn't," Warne said at an end-of-day press conference. 

The England team was castigated by both the Australian and English media after their sloppy bowling and fielding helped Australia to score 364 runs on Thursday's opening day.

Warne praised England for their fire and spirit in fighting back from a dire situation to be just 135 runs away at stumps on Friday from making the Australians bat again.

At the close, Marcus Trescothick was unbeaten on 63 and Mark Butcher not out 51. Warne, who had a clear-cut stumping chance missed by wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist when Butcher was on 38, lamented two dropped catches and a potential run-out chance for costing Australia a better end result on the second day. 

"Our plan is to get stuck into them early tomorrow with the new ball and try to get a few early wickets," Warne said."Expose their batting middle order which we really think we can break open." He then tried to gain a psychological advatage, reminding England of their previous failings.

"England teams we've played against have always had a lot of character, but it's just a matter of whether they can sustain the pressure for long enough with the bat and the ball," he said. 

"That's why we've beaten England over the last 15 years. Generally when we bat we can sustain pressure on their bowlers and when we bowl we can keep that pressure on. 

"England can come out and have a good session here and there, or a good day, but over a period of five days in a Test match we've generally been able to assert pressure with both bat and ball."