"You need 400 and your batsmen need hundreds and beyond. This tour is not so much about technique and getting your head forward - it is about mental toughness."
Tuesday 21 November 2017 18:54, UK
Nasser Hussain has challenged England to show their "toughness" and pile on first-innings runs as they bid to retain the Ashes on Australian soil.
Joe Root's side begin their defence of the urn at The Gabba in Brisbane on Thursday, a venue where they haven't won since 1986 and Australia haven't lost since 1988.
Former England captain Hussain told Sky Sports News that the tourists must regularly surpass 400 when batting first - and has backed opener Mark Stoneman to prove a fine foil to Alastair Cook, the skipper during the side's 5-0 whitewash in Australia in 2013/14.
"Pretty fifties may win you games in England where 300 is a par score and you have James Anderson, Chris Woakes, and Stuart Broad in your side with a Dukes ball, but in Australia, if you get 300 in your first innings you will lose," said the Sky Sports Cricket expert.
"You need 400 and your batsmen need hundreds and beyond. This tour is not so much about technique and getting your head forward - it is about mental toughness. Are you tough enough to beat Australia?"
Stoneman hit one hundred and three fifties during his four innings in England's warm-up matches and Hussain says the Surrey batsman will not be fazed by the heat of an Ashes series.
"I don't think the intensity will worry him," said Hussain. "He might be a novice in terms of touring with England but he has been around a long, long time. He has also started this tour brilliantly and definitely has something about him.
"England have been searching for an opening partner for Cook since Andrew Strauss retired and I think they have found one.
"You won't know until the first ball goes down but I like the way he looks to score all the time. Alastair likes to accumulate so you need someone to push on like that."
Stoneman's former Durham team-mate Ben Stokes remains out of Ashes contention while the police investigation into his arrest outside a nightclub in Bristol in September continues.
Hussain, who says Stokes' absence is a "massive blow" for England, expects Jake Ball to win the battle with Craig Overton for the fourth seamer's spot, despite the Nottinghamshire man sustaining ankle damage during a warm-up fixture.
"It's a massive blow for England - any team in world cricket would have him in there," Hussain said of Stokes. "He balances the side - he is one of England's best batsmen, he gives them a fifth bowling option and he is the best catcher.
"He is also the sort of character who has something about him, like Sir Ian Botham, Andrew Flintoff and Broad in previous Ashes series. Hopefully, if you are an England fan, he will feature somewhere down the line but at the moment England will have to try and win an Ashes series without him.
"England have to decide between Overton and Ball - I think they wanted Ball to be that guy but he has carried an injury so they have to decide whether he has enough overs under his belt. With it being a five-man attack, I think they might risk him over Overton, who is a fine young cricketer.
"Remember they also have Woakes, who is a serious cricketer who gets runs and wickets. He also has that extra pace, which you need in Australia."
Hussain added: "I enjoyed Ashes series in Australia. Everything you need as a cricketer and a person is there - the hotels, the facilities and the cricketers.
"If you want to have a beer with Ian Chappell or Shane Warne and talk about cricket, you can. If you don't succeed in Australia, it's down to you."
