Sydney Thunder batsman James Vince ready for some fire over England’s Ashes disaster

JAMES Vince hopes he will not be ridiculed by Sydney Thunder teammate Usman Khawaja and the rest of the western Sydney Big Bash squad after England’s Ashes hammering.

James Vince is prepared to cop it. Picture: Brett Costello

JAMES Vince hopes he will not be ridiculed by new Sydney Thunder teammate Usman Khawaja and the rest of the western Sydney Big Bash squad after the Ashes hammering.

“We don’t know each other that well, but I’m sure I’ll get some stick the next few weeks off him,’’ said Vince, who will still be chasing his first win on Australian soil this summer at Spotless Stadium on Thursday night.

“They might also think I’m a bit fragile at the minute, so they might ease up on me. Hopefully,’’ said Vince.

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James Vince is prepared to cop it. Picture: Brett Costello

The England No. 3’s inclusion in the Ashes came as a bit of a surprise, with Thunder officials banking on him being available the entire BBL campaign.

Vince will be keen to get on a run of form before preparing for the T20 internationals and two vital Tests against New Zealand in March.

Vince made two half-centuries and averaged 26.88, often throwing his own wicket away cheaply, and too often nicking.

Khawaja, Australia’s No.3, posted a big ton at the SCG and averaged 47.57.

Mitchell Johnson, one Aussie quick who was never a fan of the Poms, will no doubt try to get Vince flashing outside off stump when he steams in for the Perth Scorchers.

Vince still has plenty to prove. (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

“I think I made good progress from when I last played (Test cricket),’’ Vince said.

“There are still areas I’m trying to improve on and need to iron out. If I can get a big score, I can give myself confidence and hopefully kick on and become a regular.

“I think it’s (a case of) trying to limit the amount of times it’s a soft dismissal and making the bowlers work hard for my wicket.

“I’ll look at a few little tweaks where I can make decision-making out there easier. It might be possibly looking at getting across my stumps more and making that judgment a bit easier.’’

Johnson will be a nightmare to deal with, but Vince had already spent most of the summer dealing with the best attack he’s come up against.

“They all had little moments where they’d take the lead and put in a bit more effort — as a bowling attack they were outstanding the whole trip,’’ Vince said.

“(Nathan) Lyon had more success against left-handers, as you’d expect from an off-spinner. Even against right-handers he made it hard for us to score.

“Josh Hazlewood for me was the toughest because he gave you nothing out of area to hit.

“At different times Pat Cummins bowled quickly and consistently and had a great engine, and Mitchell Starc offers a different angle, especially with the new ball and when it’s reversing a bit, he’s another threat.’’

Vince will look to make the most of his Thunder stint before returning to the England T20 team for their internationals against Australia and New Zealand.

Originally published as Sydney Thunder batsman James Vince ready for some fire over England’s Ashes disaster