MIKE HUSSEY is expecting England to be fired up by months of ridicule and disappointment and deliver their best performance of the series in the final Ashes Test.
The former Northamptonshire and Durham batsman is better qualified than most to predict just how much England's beaten Ashes squad are hurting as they prepare for the final Test in Sydney on January 2.
The 31-year-old left-hander knows most of En
gland's squad through playing county cricket and was Monty Panesar's captain for a time at Northampton as well as playing alongside Paul Collingwood and Steve Harmison for Durham in the last two summers.
It is that insight into the personalities of various members of the England squad - and their reaction to plenty of scorn in the Australian media - that has prompted Hussey to predict a strong performance from the tourists at the SCG as they attempt to avoid the humiliation of an Ashes whitewash.
"Every Test match has been a challenge," claimed Hussey, the top run-scorer in the series with 421 runs at an impressive average of 105.25.
"I know we won the last Test in Melbourne very convincingly but there were certainly times when we were challenged.
"England are going to be desperate, they're not going to want to lose the series 5-0 and it's their last chance in Sydney. I'm sure they're going to put in a huge effort and we've got to be ready for that."
Hussey has enjoyed an impressive record in his battles with his former county team-mates during the series and has avoided the endless banter which would accompany his dismissal by any of them.
He has only been out once to Panesar during the third Test in Perth, but by the time the Northamptonshire left-arm spinner struck Hussey had collected his first century of the series.
"It's very intense competition against them, probably more intense than the players I don't know well," he admitted. "Steve Harmison is always snarling and growling at me when I'm facing him and he's bowling fast and Monty and Paul Collingwood are such great competitors as well.
"There is no quarter asked and certainly none given when we're out in the middle, but afterwards we're always very cordial and it's good to catch up - I obviously don't want to get out to Monty or Steve and I know they're pretty desperate to get me out as well."
The full article contains 425 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
