England Cricket / Ralph Ellis / 29 January 2009 /

Betfair caught up with the King of Spain ahead of England's tour of the West Indies to catch the former all-rounder's thoughts on the national team's success throughout 2009.

England's cricket team seems to have been in chaos since Christmas. But when Betfair called in to Edgbaston to see Warwickshire's director of cricket and part-time England selector Ashley Giles we found a much more upbeat version of events

Ashley, after all that's gone on how do you view the start of the Test series next week?

Well I think the difficulties have been well publicised over the last month or so, but I think now everyone is looking forward to getting on with the cricket. The West Indies will still be a challenge but I think as a team we go there as favourites and we should be hoping to come away with a series win.

Kevin Pietersen scoring a ton in the first tour game seemed a good sign...

Yes, and getting on with the cricket makes everything a lot easier. The guys can just focus on what their jobs are now. It was great to see Kevin go out and get a century in the first game, and of course Andrew Strauss as well getting a hundred in the second innings was just what we wanted - Monty as well coming in to some wickets. They are key individuals for England's success.

Have you ever played in dressing rooms where there's been rows. How does it all come together on a match day?

Yeah, I wouldn't name names, but you definitely don't get on with everyone you play with, I certainly haven't always. But you are quite right that you can still come together for a common goal. It's about winning. You play for each other and put your bodies on the line for each other. That way some of the parts of the team become much stronger than just the individuals in it. You don't have to go to dinner with everyone every night, but when you are on the field it's about winning and that's it.

Don't professionals tend to put their own career first?

I think the opposite - as a professional sportsman you have got to trust in the people you are playing with. It's logical - even if you are slightly selfish and only worried about individual success, when you are in a team game you need others to pull for you. One man can't win a game of football or a game of cricket however talented he is.

Tell us your thoughts on Strauss as a captain...

Straussy will be a very good captain. He's a level man, strong, and will do a very good job. I've played with him and I think he will have immediate respect from everyone in the dressing room

What about Alastair Cook as the number two?

I think that's a positive step for the future. Cooky is again a mature guy for his years, and down the road he could possibly be a future captain himself. He thinks about the game a lot, he's an intelligent guy and he'll offer Andrew Strauss quite a lot.

You'd know Ian Bell better than most, it's a big series for him with Owais Shah challenging for his place.

Yeah, I think everyone always wants more runs, but Belly more than most would want to go in and get a couple of big scores. He's been working extremely hard. When he came home from India he was very quickly back here at Edgbaston working on his game, and he wants more than anything just to really lay a strong foundation for his case to be playing in this team for not just the next 12 months but the next however many years. I think he has got the ability if he gets it right to be one of the best in the world.

Who are the West Indies danger men? They are a team we don't know a lot about.

Yeah, you and me both. Chanderpaul is still a classy individual with the bat, Chris Gayle is dangerous, and Ramnaresh Sarwan is a consistent performer with the bat. But with the ball they are quite unknown to me. They have certainly improved in what I'd call their scrapability in the last 12 or 18 months. They don't give so many games away, they are harder to beat, and resilient teams are always tough to beat on their home ground. I don't expect it to be a walkover, particularly not in one day format because they are very strong. It will be a test but it is important as a team we string some wins together, especially before this summer and the Ashes.

How does your role work between England and Warwickshire? The county is a major commitment?

Well I'm director of cricket here but a part-time England selector. I spend most of my time with the county so I'm obviously watching cricket all the time, but then I am also available on days in between. Geoff Miller might want me to go and see other individuals. In the winter I go away with the England team occasionally - I was in India for a while. I think having just come out of the dressing room - or quite recently, I keep saying just but it is quite a while ago now! - but as a fairly recent England player I feel I know the characters fairly well and I know what it takes to play in that dressing room and be successful. That's helpful to the selection panel.

Is that the main input you can provide, how the parts fit into the whole as you called it?

I hope so. I hope now I'm a coach and director of cricket I can see a good player and also recognise somebody who can stand up to Test cricket and one day international cricket both mentally and physically . I enjoy the job and it's by no means a breeze, and it should be tough. It's difficult picking England teams.

How are things at Edgbaston?

Good, we are training incredibly hard. We're having to pull the reins back on guys rather than give them a nudge, which is a good place to be. We don't want to be peaking now. They are working on individual skills, and 12 month contracts have certainly helped. We've had the guys in pretty much for four days a week all winter.

That's different to the old days when county cricketers all needed a winter job.

Yes, it's another sign of the game becoming much more professional. You have to stay one step ahead. Physical fitness is much more important, lifestyle management is important too, and with 12 month contracts you can see a progression year on year rather than starting again each summer. I love the job of being a coach. When I was a player I never saw myself as a coach but now I can clearly see this as where I want to be for a long time. I'm really enjoying it.

Thanks for your time and there's a free £50 bet for your favourite charity...

I'm a patron of Cure Leukaemia so choosing the charity is easy, and as a West Bromwich Albion fan I'll lay them for relegation at [1.58]. I thought after Manchester United thrashed them this week I'd have got better value, but it just shows how tight the Premier League is this season.

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