Strauss says Royal Armed Forces heroics inspired his Ashes charge

Andrew StraussLondon, Oct 8 : England captain Andrew Strauss has revealed that the Royal Armed Forces had inspired him during England''s dramatic 2-1 Ashes victory against the mighty Australians.

He also revealed how he wore a ‘Help for Heroes’ wristband throughout the series, which gave him the strength to lead from the front.

“On the Saturday, we were five wickets down in our second innings and still miles away from making Australia bat again. I was as low as I could be in my hotel room that night, but then my wife Ruth, who had driven up, mentioned that some people had been blown up in Afghanistan. They were the ones who''d had a bad day,” The Sun quoted Strauss, as saying.

“She was right. You can get caught up in the world of cricket and Ruth quickly provided some perspective. She brought things back to reality and made me realise what is important and what is not,” he added.

Strauss also rated the Ashes victory as being the best, as the whole team worked together in the absence of experienced players like Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen.

“It was incredible to experience winning The Ashes as captain of England. The team has stuck together which is a huge credit to them because there have been some difficult times such as the Headingley Test. Things could easily have fallen apart. If you want to achieve things as a side, you must be a tight unit,” Strauss ssaid.

Strauss also said that retaining the Ashes in the 2010-11 series to be held in Australia is part of his long-term goals.

“One of our longer-term goals is to retain The Ashes in 2010-11. Our form prior to that tour has to be good, the players need to be fresh and hungry and we must adapt to Australian conditions. That planning needs to be done soon,” he added. (ANI)