Faulkner confident `aggressiveness` will help in Ashes

Sydney: Young Australian all-rounder James Faulkner has said that although he has never played a Test match or been to England before, he has the necessary aggressiveness to thrive in the back-to-back Ashes series.

Faulkner, who has been focusing on playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League ( IPL) recently, came as a surprise when chairman of selectors John Inverarity called out his name in the Ashes squad. According to Faulkner, although he has an easy-going personality off the field, he can get easily fired up during a game as was evident during his verbal altercation with West Indies batsman Chris Gayle during a recent one-day international in Canberra, which resulted in him being fined 10 per cent of his match fee. However, Faulkner said that this aggressiveness will stand him in good stead during the Ashes, adding that he works very hard and plays a fair game and will continue to do at the series. Expressing his excitement over his selection in the Ashes squad, Faulkner said that he views his selection is a natural progression from one-day internationals and Twenty20 games, adding that he is thrilled at the chance to play at the Ashes. Faulkner was the Man of the Match in the recent Shefeld Shield final, scoring 135 runs and claiming four wickets to help the Tigers to their third title, and has also been instrumental for Tasmania over the past three seasons, winning his third Ricky Ponting Medal for the team`s best player this year. ANI