Strauss warns against complacency

Andrew Strauss
12 April 2012

England fans may have felt like a comprehensive Ashes win down under represented the pinnacle but captain Andrew Strauss believes the job of becoming number one team in the world has only just begun.

Having secured the urn in style over the winter, completing three innings victories to end a 24-year losing streak in Australia, England's stated aim is to become the top side in Test cricket and that task begins on Thursday morning with the first npower Test of the summer against Sri Lanka in Cardiff.

Strauss said: "We have got to learn lessons from what we did well in Australia and put those into practice again but our goals have shifted completely now. We achieved quite an important goal for us as a side - to win out there in Australia - but our goals now have turned towards this summer and beyond."

He added: "Sometimes it is going to be very hard work for us and sometimes we are going to be behind in games.

"But if we get our preparation 100% right and if our environment is 100% right hopefully we will achieve the consistency you need if you want to be the number one team in the world.

"This is the start of a new cycle in a way. It is the start of a very busy and difficult summer for us and it is hopefully an opportunity for us to make a step forward to becoming number one in the world.

"That excites us and I think for us to be thinking too much back to what happened in Sydney at this stage is not helpful."

As well as being England's first Test since the Ashes, the match also represents Strauss' first outing since retiring from one-day internationals and Eoin Morgan's chance to ink himself in as Paul Collingwood's replacement in the middle order.

The tourists will be led out by new captain Tillakaratne Dilshan at the SWALEC Stadium and his task is a tough one.

He must do without retired duo Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga, his country's finest spinner and seamer, while injuries to Nuwan Pradeep and Dilhara Fernando threaten to leave him desperately short of firepower.

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