The problem with tactics

John Wright has given England some Ashes series advice by telling them not to let the Australians know if they are overawed. Wright was in charge of India's drawn series with Australia in 2003-04 and he has used his new book John Wright's Indian Summers to outline his successful plan, which was initially devised from his time as a New Zealand opening batsman in the 1980s.

"You don't look up to them, you look down on them - if you give any hint of being overawed you are gone," Wright told the India team as he stood on a chair to deliver his series address. "The players looked up at me with bemused expressions probably wondering if I planned to jump or fly." The tactic worked as Sourav Ganguly guided India to a 1-1 result in Steve Waugh's final series, although Australia gained revenge with a 2-1 win on their tour in 2004.

Maybe England should go in with their basketball team. That way, nobody need stand on a chair and every English player can look down, with comfort, at the Aussies.