8216;If you thought your 3-yr-old was fussy,check out England8217;s dietary demands8217;

In the buildup to the November 21 opening Test in Brisbane,Australias press had a field day at the English teams expense. If you thought your three-year-old was fussy,check out the English cricket teams 82-page list of dietary demands for the upcoming Ashes series, said The Daily Telegraph.

While The Sydney Morning Herald,under a headline The floppy hat guide to fine dining, said of the England team 8230;. Cuisine: Modern pretentious. Price: Exorbitant. Loss of dignity. Whine: Constantly.

The Herald said the ECB has gone to unprecedented lengths to ensure the tourists dressing-room fare is the match of a top-class restaurant.

There are requests for trendy superfood ingredients,such as kale and agave syrup,it said,while the Telegraph added acerbically: Gone are the days of simple egg sandwiches,tea and coffee. Instead the Poms will spend every one of their lunch breaks dining on meals including soups,salads,hot options,finger food,juices and smoothies,with the menu almost completely different for each day of each Test match 8230; in a list to rival anything on MasterChef.

The file titled Test Catering Requirements,prepared by the ECBs performance nutritionist Chris Rosimus and sent to venues around Australia,lists specific breakfast,snack,lunch,tea and post-match options that must be provided throughout the five Ashes Tests,the Herald said. It includes an extensive list of foods from sandwiches to desserts.

The document details different food plans for each day of the Tests and is accompanied by a 70-page recipe guide marked as essential to use. The quantities must be followed,along with the ingredients listings, Rosimus notes in the introduction,adding: For any meat used in sandwich fillings please do not use processed meats,only freshly cooked meats will suffice. All fish must be filleted and contain no bones. Please only use low fat mayonnaise and yoghurts.

Cricket Australias nutritionist Michelle Cort said Australia also sent food guidelines and instructions to opponents venues before touring to ensure players were receiving the right nutrients. However,their meal plans were much less detailed,including on the last Ashes tour of England earlier this year,Cort told the newspaper.

Tour game washed out

Hobart: Rain forced play to be abandoned for the second consecutive day in Englands tour match against Australia A on Friday,playing havoc with the tourists preparations for the first Ashes Test beginning November 21 in Brisbane. England remain at 318/0,right where Alastair Cook,154 not out,and Michael Carberry,on 153,were at stumps on Wednesday after the first day at Bellerive Oval.

If play resumes on the final day another soggy day is forecast England are expected to retire the opening pair and give other batsmen in their top order time in the middle. England will travel to Sydney on Sunday for their third tour match against an Invitational XI starting on Wednesday at the Sydney Cricket Ground,their final match before the Brisbane Test.