First Ashes Test may not go the distance, feels ex-player Dean Jones

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Melbourne, July 7 (ANI): If former Australian Test cricketer dean Jones is to be believed, the first Test in Cardiff will probably end before five days.

According to Jones, it is a new pitch with a crusty surface and is likely to turn from day one.

"I firmly believe that whoever wins the toss will bat and win the first Test. This is an untried pitch and it will be England's only chance of winning a Test during this hot summer," The Age quoted Jones, as saying.

He also believed that England's chances of winning the Ashes rested on the shoulders of Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, and to some extent on captain Andrew Strauss.

He said that KP and Strauss were battle-hardened batters with 16 and 17 Test hundreds respectively, while Flintoff was averaging 31 with the bat, and was also an outstanding bowler and fielder when on song.

The rest of the squad, he said, was above average. He, however, did not think much of wicketkeeper Matt Prior's abilities, both in front and behind the stumps. (ANI)