Symonds says England Twenty20 is `a bit of fun’ by Cricket Archive Staff Reporter

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Player:

A Symonds, MP Vaughan, MG Johnson, BW Hilfenhaus, GD McGrath, SR Clark, ML Hayden, CL White, GB Hogg, NW Bracken

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DateLine: 10th January 2007

 

Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds says Tuesday's Twenty20 International against crushed Ashes rivals England will not have any bearing on the following one-day tri-series. Twenty20 cricket has been embraced by fans and there are Twenty20 World Championships next September, but Symonds says the sold-out Sydney Cricket Ground game is "a bit of fun". "You still do have that element of pride at the end of the day but it doesn't have that complete sense of seriousness about it," Symonds told reporters Monday. "If you win, you win, but we won't be taking it into the first one-day international saying - 'We rolled England in a Twenty20 game'." Symonds, while conceding England would be desperate for a win after the historic 5-0 Ashes whitewash last Friday, said he did not think the side, now captained again by Michael Vaughan, should get carried away by the match. "They're probably in a different place to us at the moment - we're pretty high on life and they're very disappointed in what they've achieved I'd say," he said. "But a game like this is a bit of fun and you don't want to be stringing yourself up with your bootlaces if they were to get flogged again tomorrow night. That's not what the idea of the exercise is." Symonds said he expected plenty of banter between the two sides and said the light-hearted match would be a perfect return after the Ashes celebrations. "It should be a bit of fun and both teams will probably have a bit of fun with each other and the crowd and all that sort of thing," he said.

 

Australia's pace attack will include Ashes 12th man Mitchell Johnson and Tasmanian youngster Ben Hilfenhaus, who were called into the squad for the resting Glenn McGrath and Stuart Clark. Johnson said he was looking forward to taking an active role in the national side after a five-game Ashes stint as 12th man. "It can be (a nightmare) and you have to have a bit of luck," he said. "You can bowl your best ball and still get hit for six but I think you've got to deal with it. You have to mix your line and length and pace otherwise you will get punished. But it will be good fun. I've been sitting around and watching the guys, and while it has been very exciting for me, it will be nice to get out there and play." Test opener Matthew Hayden will have his first international tilt in the Twenty20 format since the 2005 tour of England while Cameron White, Brad Hogg and Nathan Bracken come in after missing the Ashes. Australian Twenty20 squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Cameron White, Brad Hogg, Nathan Bracken, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee and Ben Hilfenhaus.