"There’ll be no excuses from our end" - Andrew McDonald expects Australia to be ruthless in the Ashes from the first Test

Australia's assistant coach Andrew McDonald has sternly warned Pat Cummins and co. to play their best game in the first Test of the upcoming Ashes. McDonald believes a lack of game time shouldn't be used as an excuse as modern players must adapt quickly.

Australia lock horns against England in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane, starting on the 8th of November. However, the hosts haven't played Test cricket since January 2021. The likes of Steve Smith, David Warner, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc haven't featured in red-ball cricket for a while either.

However, Andrew McDonald thinks they have made the most of their practice sessions. The 40-year old said the short turnaround was always going to be an issue, but he expects them to thrive nonetheless:

"I think with we’ve made the best of what we’ve had. It was always going to be a shortened prep, and less than ideal switching formats and quarantine and all that stuff. But I think the art of the modern-day cricketer is to be able to adapt to that. There’ll be no excuses from our end and I’m sure there’ll be no excuses from England’s end either," McDonald stated, as quoted by news.com.au.

Australia have had to deal with a significant off-field distraction recently, with Tim Paine resigning as Test captain due to the sexting scandal. As a result, Pat Cummins became Australia's first frontline bowler captain since Ray Lindwall in 1956.

"I think we’ll be really, really, really well-prepared" - Andrew McDonald

McDonald revealed that the fluctuating weather conditions in Brisbane haven't affected their preparations and remains optimistic about beating England. The Victorian further added:

"We’ve had fantastic facilities up here. The weather’s been challenging at times but we’ve still been able to get out into the centre. Also, these guys have got a lot of Test experience to draw upon. So changing formats is something that they’ve been able to deal with across their careers. I think we’ll be really, really, really well-prepared."

Although Australia start as favorites, the visitors won't be easy to beat despite their dismal record Down Under. All-rounder Ben Stokes' late addition to the England squad will come as a significant boost to their confidence.