ANDREW STRAUSS has warned England they must be on top of their game to ensure they suffer no further embarrassment at the hands of Holland.
It is less than two years ago that England lost to today’s opponents in the opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 at Lord’s – on the way to a poor home campaign in that tournament.
They have since beaten the world in the shortest format, winning England’s maiden International Cricket Council global trophy in the West Indies last May.
There were no Dutchmen in the Caribbean then. But they are back now, and Strauss is well aware of the threat they pose – despite fielding a team with just a handful of full-time professionals and a majority able to concentrate on cricket only sporadically.
“They are going to be a stern test for us,” the England captain predicted. “They will come out and play with a lot of freedom.
“If we are 10% off and they have a good day, we are in trouble – so we need to be right on our game.”
England have the option of picking first-choice spinner Graeme Swann who flew in following the birth of his first child Wilfred.
SUMMARY: ICC World Cup - Group A Ahmedabad Australia 262-6 Innings Complete (S R Watson 79, M J Clarke 58 no) v Zimbabwe 171 (M G Johnson 4-19) Australia beat Zimbabwe by 91 runs
