READY FOR THE ASHES HEAT

Baz expecting England to head Down Under primed for pressure after epic India clashes

- By Mike Walters

BAZBALL guru Brendon McCullum says England’s epic series against India has toughened them up for this winter’s defining Ashes crusade.

The England coach was disappointed to be denied a “fairy-tale” finish with one-armed bandit Chris Woakes, below, hitting the winning run in The Oval cliffhanger — which ended in a heartbreaking six-run defeat instead.

But after the greatest summer of Test cricket since England’s 2005 Ashes win, McCullum believes the 2-2 draw will serve as perfect preparation for the challenging tour Down Under.

He said: “We'll digest this one, pick out what has gone well and then start to work out how we keep improving so that, when we arrive in Australia, we give ourselves a huge chance.

“We're now halfway through what we knew was going to be a massive 12 months of Test cricket and we know we’ve got room to improve.