England’s cricketers are stepping up their Ashes preparations with a creative approach designed to mimic the extreme conditions they expect to face in Australia next month.
With the first Test set to begin in Perth on November 21, Ben Stokes and his squad have been working to ensure they arrive in peak physical and mental condition for what promises to be a gruelling series.
While several members of the 16-man squad are currently on white-ball duty in New Zealand, others have been training at the England and Wales Cricket Board’s National Performance Centre at Loughborough University.
There, staff have been using heaters and industrial fans to recreate the intense Australian summer heat, which can soar to around 40 degrees Celsius.
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Fast bowler Mark Wood revealed that the unusual training setup has proved invaluable for England’s quicks as they attempt to acclimatise ahead of the long tour.
Speaking on The Wisden Cricket Podcast, Wood said: “Loughborough’s been great to get amongst the fast bowlers and to bowl down there in a tent.
“You obviously don’t get outdoor practice in the North East because the season’s finished, so it’s invaluable to get into that tent and pump the heating up so it’s like being abroad. It’s been nice.”
England bowler Mark Wood has looked ahead to this winter's Ashes series against Australia
|PA
Wood, who is preparing for his third Ashes campaign, explained that the temperature-controlled training has been taken seriously.
“They have heaters and fans in the tent,” he said.
“You quickly go from coats, jumpers and long pants to Brydon Carse bowling in a vest the other day. It’s chalk and cheese when you’re in and out of the tent. It’s just trying to gear you up for what’s to come.”
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England players are expecting a hostile reception from Australia cricket fans
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The 35-year-old also joked that England’s bowlers have been brushing up on their mental resilience as well as their fitness, practising how to deal with the famously vocal Australian crowds.
“Yeah, we’ve been ‘champed’ about 50 times in the last week,” he said with a laugh, referring to the typically Australian sledge intended to mock or unsettle opponents.
Former Australia international Moises Henriques once described the word “champ” as “a compliment wrapped in a dirty sandwich,” and Wood admitted it is all part of the psychological battle.
“We’re just getting used to it,” he continued. “It’s about gearing yourself up for what’s coming.
“I’ve had a tour where I’ve been running drinks around the boundary, which was a bit tasty, and I’ve had one where I was on the field.
“That first game in Brisbane, some of the lads were a bit wide-eyed on the edge of the boundary getting a bit of flak, but I’ve actually enjoyed the crack a bit. I try to embrace it and have some fun with people in the crowd. If they go too far, you just ignore it.”
England haven't won an Ashes series Down Under since 2011 | GETTYWood said that handling the pressure is crucial to performing well in an Ashes series.
“It is a pressure situation and when they’re over here, they’ll do the same.
“They prey on any sort of weakness, so you have to be ready for a bit of back and forth with the crowd.”
England’s preparations will continue over the coming weeks before the squad assembles in Australia.
Stokes’s side will be aiming to reclaim the Ashes on Australian soil for the first time since 2010–11, with conditions, crowd hostility and relentless heat once again shaping one of cricket’s fiercest rivalries.
Whether they can etch their name into the history books remains to be seen.