Australia have been told to think again if they are assuming Ashes victory is all but guaranteed.
That message has come from Ryan Harris, part of the Aussie attack that destroyed England 5-0 the last time the sides faced each other Down Under.
With just a week until the first Test gets underway in Brisbane, a lot of the talk surrounding the tourists is negative. From the absence of Ben Stokes (pictured) — still unable to travel due to a police investigation into an alleged assault in Bristol two months ago — to injured bowlers, to the worry that the side is undercooked, there are seemingly more questions than answers about Joe Root’s side.
Harris, however, has warned that while England’s preparations have been far from ideal the side still have enough ability to beat the hosts.
“If there were injuries to Broad and Anderson you’d definitely go along with that line that they probably would struggle,” Harris told Reuters.
“But the bottom line is their two main bowlers that lead their attack are fit and firing.
“The third quick, who I think is going to be (Chris) Woakes, is pretty handy as well. We saw that the other night, especially under lights.
“You can’t write off teams just because of injuries. It can actually make you stronger because as a group, you come together.
“I know there’s a lot of talk out there in the media and in the public but I don’t think they’re going to be easy to beat.
“I think we’ll win, but I don’t think it will be an easy win like some people are saying.”
Meanwhile, Root has said he’ll remain completely unfazed if, as expected, Australia target him out in the middle.
“I’ve heard a lot of chat about them targeting me in particular,” the England skipper said.
“From our point of view we’ll be targeting every single one of them, we won’t be singling any guys out.”

Source:Arabnews