Strauss and England: 'Stern challenges' ahead
England's cricketers have no intention of taking their feet off the gas after their stunning 4-0 whitewash of India confirmed their status as the best Test side in the world.
In testimony to their new-found drive and ambition, and far from resting on their laurels following their crushing series victory of the former top Test nation, Andrew Strauss's men remain intent on scaling even greater heights.
Gone are the days of a bleary-eyed and slightly worse-for-wear Freddie Flintoff and his team-mates celebrating England's Ashes 2005 victory aboard an open-top bus through the streets of London.
Gone too is the mood of self-congratulation and the comfortable reassurance that the task is complete and the job well done.
In this England outfit there lies an acute awareness that the job has, in fact, only just begun and a steely determination to keep pushing on.
"The greatest pitfall is that feeling that you've done it all, therefore you're not willing to put in the hard work. I'd be very disappointed if we fell into that trap, It's not what we're about as a unit"
Andrew Strauss Quotes of the week
"The greatest pitfall is that feeling that you've done it all, therefore you're not willing to put in the hard work," said Strauss.
Disappointed
"I'd be very disappointed if we fell into that trap, It's not what we're about as a unit. If there are any signs of it it's important to nip it in the bud.
And so on Monday, after completing their first whitewash in a four-match series for seven years with another crushing defeat of India in the final Test at the Oval, the celebrations were rather more muted.
Instead the focus remains firmly on the challenges that lie ahead as Strauss hands over the reins to limited-overs captains Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook and Eoin Morgan.
England begin writing their next chapter on Thursday with a trip to Dublin for a one-off one-dayer against Ireland before taking on world champions India in limited-overs series both home and away.
They then face the challenges of Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates and away to Sri Lanka before returning for Tests in the new year.
And Strauss, despite the fact he will be taking a four-month break from England duty, is only too aware of the dangers of complacency as Alistair Cook tries to lead his country up the world ODI rankings.
"We've got some very stern challenges ahead this winter in the sub-continent. That's an area of the world that we still need to improve in, and it's going to be a big challenge for us there."
Andrew Strauss Quotes of the week
"We've got some very stern challenges ahead this winter in the sub-continent," he continued.
Excited
"That's an area of the world that we still need to improve in, and it's going to be a big challenge for us there.
"It's very different out there in the heat and humidity, so we need to keep adapting our skills. Winning away from home is always more difficult.
"We should be competitive in our conditions against anyone in the world. Away from home is harder, so we're going to have to challenge ourselves to improve away from home."
Looking to the more immediate future, Strauss said England were keen to build on the successes of this summer and relishing the opportunity to topple the world champions in the short format.
"Confidence is high," he added. "There was a fantastic one-day series win against Sri Lanka (this summer), and here's an opportunity to take on the World Cup winners.
"There's plenty to be excited about in that one-day series, and I'm sure we'll be very keen to finish the summer again being unbeaten."
Source: http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12040_7119538,00.html
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