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Page last updated at 10:19 GMT, Wednesday, 1 December 2010

Ashes: England focused on Adelaide Test - Trott

Australia v England, second Test
Venue: Adelaide Oval Date: 3-7 December. Match starts 0000 GMT on 3 Dec Coverage: Listen live on Test Match Special on BBC Radio 4 LW and 5 live Sports Extra; text commentary on BBC Sport website and live on Sky Sports 1

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Rain hampers England Adelaide preparations

By Tom Fordyce
BBC Sport in Adelaide

Jonathan Trott said England will put their record-breaking performance in Brisbane to one side ahead of Friday's second Ashes Test in Adelaide.

Trott scored an unbeaten 135 against Australia as the tourists came from 221 runs down to force an unlikely draw.

He shared an unbroken stand of 329 with double century maker Alastair Cook in England's historic 517-1 at the Gabba.

"We will take a lot of good things out of that, but I wouldn't say there's any advantage on either side," Trott said.

"I've been pretty fortunate to do pretty well, but both as an individual and as a team things can change pretty quickly. Things can go from good to bad."

Trott has now scored centuries in successive Ashes Tests, and boasts the best average of any England number three of the modern era.

606: DEBATE

"It's one of those things you work pretty hard for. It was really good I could do that for the team and contribute to an excellent fightback," he added.

"We showed great character the way we were able to get back into the game.

"There's a good feeling in the dressing room at the moment - it's a nice feeling having a settled XI and having guys working hard and well for each other."

Adelaide has not been the happiest of hunting grounds for England.

In 2006, under Andrew Flintoff's captaincy, the team declared on 551-6, with Paul Collingwood hitting 206 and Kevin Pietersen 158, only to lose five wickets for 35 runs on the final day to collapse in woeful fashion and hand Australia a devastating six-wicket win.

While former captain Michael Vaughan hit a brilliant 177 on the previous tour in 2002, in 1991-92 David Gower sparked a huge row with his skipper Graham Gooch after he gave his wicket away with a waft down leg as that England campaign also fell apart.

Trott is the sole member of the current England top six who was not part of that collapse four years ago, but he said the 2010 tourists do not carry any baggage from those previous reverses.

"I don't think anyone is worried about what happened four years ago. We come to Adelaide with real determination and energy to hopefully go 1-0 up in the series," he stated.

"That's what we'll be thinking about - we won't be worrying about what's happened in the past or what happened in the last innings. That's finished as far as we're concerned."

Much has been made of the pitch's reputation as a high-scoring flat track, and with both sides struggling to take wickets in the first Test at the Gabba some are writing the match off as a draw.

But eight of the last ten Tests in Adelaide have ended with results, and England also had plenty of success at this ground when they met South Australia in November.

Captain Andrew Strauss and Cook both hit centuries and Graeme Swann took four first innings wickets as only rain denied them a win.

"It might not be a batsman's paradise - you never know," Trott commented. "You have to prepare yourself for all eventualities.

"Brisbane probably wasn't what you'd want as an ideal Test wicket but you have to get on with what you're given. That's what Test cricket is about - hard yards."

Fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus, whose places in the Australian team are under threat, did not bowl in the nets on Wednesday as selection rivals Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris went through vigorous sessions.

Reports in Adelaide suggest that Johnson, who finished with figures of 0-170 in Brisbane, will be replaced by left-arm seamer Bollinger for the second Test.

Australia vice-captain Michael Clarke, who made only nine off 50 balls at the Gabba, will also be delighted to have left Queensland behind for South Australia.

He has an outstanding batting record at the Adelaide Oval, scoring three centuries in four Tests and averaging 95. After a stint in the nets there on Wednesday with his skipper Ricky Ponting, Clarke believes he can rediscover that form once again.

"I was just working on a few things and obviously Punter's [Ponting] seen me bat for a long time now through my career and picks things up at training," Clarke said.

Michael Clarke
Clarke bids to maintain batting average in Adelaide

"I was getting him to throw me a few balls and to have a look and see what his thoughts were. He was just mentioning that I was a bit low in my stance, so I just tried to stand a little bit taller and see if it worked.

"I felt a little bit better - if you saw my net session I struggled at the start there and felt like it got better throughout a pretty long net session so that was good."

Clarke looked troubled by his degenerative back condition in Brisbane, and on the flight south to Adelaide received treatment from his team physiotherapist.

But he said his problems in the middle had been more to do with intelligent English bowling.

"I thought they bowled pretty well, pretty good areas, there was a little bit in the wicket and Jimmy Anderson was through a pretty good spell," he reflected.

"But in saying that my feet weren't moving as well as I'd like, probably wasn't watching the ball as well as I should be and probably played not a very good shot.

"The ball I got out on was a pretty poor shot, execution and shot selection probably wasn't right, so I'll learn from that and hopefully I can bat better in this Test."



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