No let-up from Australia in Ashes series, says Haddin

MELBOURNE: Australia vice-captain Brad Haddin says motivation won´t be a problem for the hosts in the fourth Test against England starting Thursday, though they´ve already reclaimed the Ashes and hold a 3-0 lead in the five-Test series.

Haddin said Australia is determined to press for the 5-0 series sweep which will lift them from fifth to third on world Test rankings and to further avenge its recent defeats at England´s hands.

"I´ve been on the end of a few hidings from England so from my point of view it´s not that hard at all. We´ll play this game in the same spirit and with the same fight we´ve shown throughout my whole Test career. "Haddin said Australia was already aiming not just at the No. 3 ranking, but to the summit.

"We want to challenge ourselves to be the best cricketers we can be as a group and we hope that end result is to be No.1 in the world," he said.

But Haddin said the real test of Australia´s aspiration to become No. 1 will likely come in the tour of South Africa. "That´s a true test of where we´re at," he said.

"You want to play the best and you´re not going to get to No.1 hiding away and not playing the best," he said."That´s a challenge put to the group and we´re pretty hungry to achieve that."

England batsman Kevin Pietersen said the tourists were not dispirited despite "coming unstuck" on a forgettable tour.

you lose there´s a lot of people taking pot shots at a dressing room," Pietersen said. "If you guys came to any of our team meetings or took a real good look into the way the boys are training, they´re trying their backsides off.

"Australia´s opening batsman David Warner has scored two centuries and two half centuries in the three tests against England so far and was eager for that form to continue.

"I don´t need much for Christmas apart from coming out here and scoring runs for the team and having a Boxing Day victory to go 4-0," Warner said. "It´s good to be on a high; I´ve never been on a roll like this before but I´ve got to work out the best way to keep scoring runs." (AP)