England / Ralph Ellis / 09 November 2010 /

Mark Butcher is the only Englishman to have scored a century in a Brisbane Test in 24 years - so who better to talk to Betfair about the importance of a good start in an Ashes series and what Andrew Strauss and co are likely to do this winter . . .

Hi Mark, tell us your memories of 1998. You scored 116.

It's a long time ago . . . I remember the build up hadn't gone particularly well - I had ended up with more stitches in my head than runs in the warm up game, so I wasn't in particularly good form. I simply went out to bat deciding I'd be as positive as I possibly could and it paid off.

Is being positive the key for England then?

Definitely. Australia at the moment are not the side that they were, and we seem to be preparing well and full of confidence. Getting off to a good start would be terrific

What's the atmosphere at The Gabba like?

There's normally a lot of English fans, and it's a pretty closed-in ground so the atmosphere is terrific. I think the main thing the players will look forward to is just getting it under way. The phoney war started a very long time ago, everybody giving predictions, talking about what has to be done, and it will be just good to get out and start the series.

Are nerves a big issue at the start of the series?

I don't remember it being a particular problem, although it's such a big series there will be nerves - Steve Harmison bowling the first ball to second slip was not the best way in the world to begin last time and nerves must have played a part in that, but I think a lot of lessons have been learned.

The preparation seems much more thorough. How do you rate Andrew Strauss as a
leader?

He's the right man for the job, and it has had a very positive effect on his batting. You can see the team is behind him, and to have all three of those things is a pretty positive start.

What about Kevin Pietersen's lack of form, though?

KP needs to score some runs, but a lot of the time he's the only person anybody wants to talk about, whether positive or negative. The rest of the team have performed well and won matches without him in the past. If his form doesn't come back and they have to leave him out that's what they will do. Obviously, they will be hoping it will return because he's a world class player, but no one man is bigger than the team.

Is there anybody you think might emerge as a new star?

Well, I've not seen a lot of Chris Tremlett because I retired from Surrey just before he came, but I've played against him in the past and he's a massive lad who bowls the ball from a great height and bowls with pace. If he's fit and copes with it mentally I could see him sneaking into the team in front of Steven Finn as one of the four bowlers. He stands a very good chance of being involved.

There's much made of sledging. What did the Aussies say to you?

Believe it or not, nothing. It's strange that while so much is made of it, very little actually goes on. Maybe once in a while somebody will say something amusing, or there's a flashpoint, but in terms of orchestrated sledging it's actually a myth. There's more of that goes on in club cricket on a Saturday afternoon than in Test cricket ever.

You mentioned Australia being in a period of change, who will be their key players?

Ricky Ponting's performance with the bat and as captain will have a huge bearing. I don't think he's the greatest captain, but a lot of the time a captain is only as good as the bowling attack at his disposal and Australia's is nowhere near as good as it used to be. The big issue will be the pressure he and the team will be under if he doesn't perform. There were calls for his head going back to when Australia lost the Ashes in England, and they've just dipped below England in the Test rankings and have lost games, so he's under pressure. He has to come out and score big runs and lead from the front. If Australia go down in the series the pressure on him to resign will become massive.

Will you be going out to Oz?

Yes, for the Melbourne and Sydney Tests. I'm doing a bit of commentary for the BBC, and really looking forward to it.

We can't let you go without asking about your new career as a rock star. We spent our seven quid on Amazon to download your album 'Songs from the Sun House' and really enjoyed it.

Thanks - it's been selling okay, steadily as opposed to spectacular, but it's going great. It's all my own work to get it out there and market it, and the feedback has been terrific. I'm trying to arrange a support tour in the New Year.

Hope it goes well and thanks for your time. We've a free £50 bet with the winnings for a favourite charity.

Great, I'll back Graeme Swann to be England's top wicket taker. The price of [2.44] isn't huge but it's a guaranteed winner, and the money can go to Parkinson's UK.

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