LONDON: Batsman Ravi Bopara said he had earned his place in the England squad for the Ashes series starting next month.Bopara should bat in the pivotal number three spot in the order against the Australians after a run of good scores for his country.
"Over the last couple of months I've earned my place on the team," Bopara said on Monday. "I've always wanted to bat in the top order for my country. To do it against the best in the world will be a great challenge for me."
Bopara endured a difficult start to his Test career and was written off as an international batsmen after three successive ducks in Sri Lanka in 2007.
But he scored 104 against West Indies in Barbados in February, made 143 in the first test against the same opponents at Lord's and became only the fifth Englishman to notch up three Test centuries in a row with an innings of 108 at Durham.
"I work very hard on the player I want to be.. (but) I didn't think too much about what happened in Sri Lanka. I didn't change a lot," he said.
"I just try to enjoy it. You can put pressure on yourself and make too much fuss about it. I think it's important you go out and enjoy yourself. When you're a kid you don't worry about anything."
The first Test against Australia starts from July 8 in Cardiff and after recent stints playing Twenty20 cricket in the World Cup and Indian Premier League (IPL) Bopara has had little time to adjust.
"I think two weeks is enough to prepare," the 24-year-old Bopara said at an event in south London to promote cricket among urban youth.
Australia, who crushed England 5-0 in the last Ashes series, are a much changed side after the retirements of key players like Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist but Bopara is not under-estimating their replacements.
"I think everybody's dangerous," he said. "All 11 players. We certainly won't take anybody lightly.
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