England Escape

England will embark on  a short foreign break tomorrow, in an attempt to escape the media spotlight ahead of the Ashes series. Their destination is unknown, and the move is very much in keeping with similar moves made by their new consultant, John Buchanan, when he was coach of Australia. 

Buchanan Defects

In an interesting development, it has been announced that former Australia coach John Buchanan will team-up with England this summer, taking on an informal consultancy role.

It is a bit unclear exactly what that entails, but it seems to be a growing trend - Hampshire aquired the services of Buchanan's old adversery, Duncan Fletcher, at the start of the season, prompting a few positive murmerings, and it is hoped that England can tap into the Australian's unquestionable experience in a similar way.

The fact remains though, that the Australian Test set-up has undergone a face-lift since Buchanan retired after the 2007 World Cup, and now contains players that he didn't work with. Still, pointers regarding Ponting's thought processes and team mentality can hardly harm England's chances of Ashes glory.