Alastair Cook hopes that this England team can improve their records down under

The Ashes series has always been a special sight to focus on for both Australia and England. Both the teams thrive to perform to the best of their abilities and give their best shot to claim the prestigious Urn. Each time, the Ashes comes as a different challenge for both the sides. And this time, this young Joe Root led England team would surely want to erase many of the memories from when they last toured down under in the Ashes 2013-14. English opener and former captain Alastair Cook also hopes this team would create new records when they face the Aussies to retain the Urn.

Cook admitted the fact that the hosts have an incredible record at home, especially at the Gabba where the 1st Test match of the series is to be played. He also stated that the past records are meant to be broken one day and it can happen anytime. The former England skipper also talked about his intensity on the field because of the hard training off the field which matters the most.

The start in a big series is always crucial

Cook stated that a good performance in the first Test match will surely boost the confidence of the whole team. He also said that even a draw would be a good start for the visitors considering their record at home.

“You don’t go into any game thinking you want a draw but it would be a really good start to this series,’ said Cook. ‘Australia’s record here is very good but records are there to be broken. One day Australia will lose a game at Brisbane in the Ashes. Records don’t last forever. You wouldn’t want to be in the Australian side who does lose at the Gabba,” said Cook as quoted by MailOnline.

I also feel the pressure

The 32-year old English batsman also admitted the fact that despite having over 11,000 runs in his account and after playing 147 Tests he still feels nervous at times. Cook is the most experienced player in the England team currently and he himself knows that it is important to get runs in a big series like this. He also talked about his training routine before every game and the motivation to perform for the country is always the target.

“I still get nervous, of course I do. I can feel the emotions now. Coming to the ground today brings back good and bad memories and you don’t know what it will be like this time. But this is what drives you on when you’re doing all the training in the dark hours at Chelmsford or in the gym when it’s pretty dull and boring. This is when you get your moment and this is when you want to go out and play really well,” he concluded.

Here is all that you need to know about the history of the Ashes