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Nielsen Responds To KP's Ashes Comment
Nielsen - looking forward to the contest.
Australia coach Tim Nielsen has welcomed Kevin Pietersen's talk of the Ashes series next year after his first Test as captain of England.
Pietersen seemed unfazed that his side had just lost a Test series at home to South Africa, and instead stated after their victory in the dead rubber at The Oval that "if we play like we played this week, we'll beat Australia".
England have Test series away to India and West Indies and at home to Sri Lanka before the Ashes begin in July next year, and Nielsen confirmed that his side are more focused on their own immediate future.
"I'm pleased that he is thinking about us already," Nielsen said in The Age. "We've got a couple of big series coming up that are taking up most of our thinking at the moment, but we're certainly very aware that in 12 months we'll have an Ashes series on the go, and we're very much looking forward to it."
Australia head to India for four Tests in October and November before taking on New Zealand ahead of home-and-away series against South Africa.
"I actually think those (12) Test matches will give us a fantastic opportunity to see how we want to play with a real eye towards the Ashes," Nielsen said.
Meanwhile the coach insisted that England have a lot to do before next summer if they are to gain revenge for the 5-0 mauling handed out to them in Australia.
"Without wanting to put too much on paper, I reckon it is interesting that he's coming out and saying that already," he said.
"There are obviously some things they need to work on. It was a dead rubber and if they want to win the Ashes, they've got to win two more Tests than they won in this series, against us in England next year."
