Ashes 2013-14: England’s Alastair Cook wary of Australia’s batters

Alastair Cook insists England must be wary of Australia’s batting threat ahead of this winter’s Ashes Down Under.

The England captain is bidding to lead his country to a fourth successive series win against a depleted Australian side.

Aussie skipper Michael Clarke is an injury doubt for the first Test, whilst the hosts have little real Ashes experience in their batting order, but Cook isn’t taking anything for granted.

“It’s going to be a good series. It’s going to be a hard series in terms of the batters we’re going to be playing,” Cook said.

“They’re a good side at home. You saw how they played against South Africa a couple of years ago and it’s pretty much the same team as that.

“We know we’ve got to be on top of our game to do something special and that’s the beauty of sport.”

Cook also conceded skippering England in an Ashes series Down Under will be a different challenge after overseeing a 3-0 win this summer.

“Clearly on tour you’re together as a unit rather than after every game you go home and get a couple of days away from it,” he added. “By the end of the tour you might be a bit tireder, I suppose, because that challenge you’re constantly always under, but not really.

“The Ashes is different cricket; it is different cricket and as a captain you have to adjust to that. I think being through what I have this summer, experiencing that, puts you in a better place when you’ve been through it and you survived and think ‘I did alright’.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of going away and playing.”