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Strauss targets four Ashes wins

Andrew Strauss has spoken of his desire to become the first England test captain since the war to win four successive Ashes series.

Those looking at live betting will note how Strauss has guided England to two Ashes wins as captain so far – in 2009 and 2011 – and he is targeting victories in 2013 and 2014 in order to make it four series wins against Australia in a row.

One thing for certain is that he wants to remain as captain for this long, meaning that he will be 37-years-old by the time the 2013-2014 comes around.

Speaking about the future, Strauss said: “Playing in back-to-back Ashes tours would be a realistic goal. But I'm not going to say that is definitely what is going to happen. There's a lot of cricket to be played between now and then.”

“We will see where we are in 12 months, then another 12 months and go from there.”

With this in mind, Strauss says he is excited about 2012 has to offer, while he admits that he will know when his time is up as an international cricketer.

The 34-year-old continued: “I'm still motivated and excited about the challenges we have got ahead of us. As long as I'm motivated and playing well, and feel like there is still space in the side for me, then I want to continue.”

“But who knows how long that is going to last? From my point of view, if I take it one series at a time then hopefully I will be playing well enough to keep playing for a while yet.”

One thing that Strauss does have on his side is the fact the current England test team are set to be the same for a while yet.

Many players, including James Anderson, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook are in the peak of their career right now and will be with Strauss all the way.

In fact, as he is the oldest member of the team, it is likely that he will be the first of the current squad to retire. Therefore, if he is determined to still be playing in 2014, so can the rest of this England team that currently sits on top of the test rankings.

Elsewhere, new Australia coach Mickey Arthur has admitted that he is already planning for the 2012 Ashes series.

He said: “We prioritise series and a couple are non-negotiable. South Africa next year is going to be a massive series but that's going to be a stepping stone towards the series with England.”

“In other series we will look to be a little bit more conservative and try and blood some younger guys to increase the talent pool, but we certainly won't be doing that in the Ashes.”

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