Clarke tells team to forget Ashes and focus on ODI series against England

Sydney, June 19(ANI): Australia captain Michael Clarke has urged his young team to stop thinking about next year's Ashes and concentrate on their five-match one-day series against England, starting on June 29.

Clarke told his players that if they keep thinking about the Ashes then they might not perform well during their upcoming series, which could end their dreams of playing in the Ashes.

Almost half of Oz squad hasn't played a one-day international in England, and the Australian brains are keen for the likes of Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and David Warner to soak up some valuable experience.

"It's important for us as a group to not get too carried away with the Ashes. The reality is, if we don't perform as a team now, you don't even worry about the Ashes because you're not on that trip," The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Clarke, as saying.

"It's so far away for us that as a team we haven't spoken about it. Yes, it is the pinnacle as a Test cricketer," he added.

"It's in the back of your mind, but we've got a lot of cricket in front of us where we're going to have to perform individually and as a team, before we even worry about the Ashes," he said. (ANI)