November 14 Thursday 2002
England cricketers ease off training

HOBART, Australia: England's cricketers have eased off on their preparations ahead of playing Australia's second-best side, with acting captain Marcus Trescothick saying the team needed time off.

In preparation for the three-day game against Australia A, which starts at Hobart's Bellerive Oval on Friday, the English spent about two hours at the ground early on Wednesday. There was no net practice and most of the players were content with some unchallenging work in the field. Trescothick, who'll lead the team in Hobart as captain Nasser Hussain prepares to fly to Perth for the birth of his second child, was happy. "Today was a good day," he said. "We had a good laugh and a runaround and let off a bit of steam."

The Somerset opener thought the team needed the relaxation after spending about six hours getting to Hobart from Brisbane on Tuesday, which meant it couldn't be called a day off. "People have to understand that we're away for a long time," he said. "Time off is as valuable as being in the nets because you can get so stale. "Bad practice is no use at all. We have to have time off."

Trescothick said morale was okay: "We just need a bit of luck, to play well and get the guys in form." He said he'd felt a little nervous at the start of the Brisbane Test, but thought this was normal and a good thing. But he admitted to being surprised by the way Australia started their first innings after being sent in.

"The ball swung about a bit, but they played so positively and I think it shook us all slightly," he said. He was working on a few technical aspects of his own batting, but wouldn't say what they were. However he was scornful of claims that he'd become Australian bowler Jason Gillespie's batting bunny.

"It's more of a problem for the people who write about it than it is for me," he said. Trescothick, who has captained England in a New Zealand tour match and a one-day international, said Hussain hadn't given him any advice. While he would go in against Australia A trying to win, he saw the match primarily as a way for the team to get solid work in ahead of the second Test in Adelaide. "Australia will play the game very seriously and we're not going to take it lightly," he said. England plans a more intense practice on Thursday.