Cook: We got punished
Captain Alastair Cook conceded confidence levels are uncharacteristically low, after England slipped to an eight-wicket loss at the hands of Australia on day four of the penultimate Ashes Test on Sunday.
Captain Alastair Cook conceded confidence levels are uncharacteristically low, after England slipped to an eight-wicket loss at the hands of Australia on day four of the penultimate Ashes Test on Sunday.
Heavily defeated in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, the tourists' poor stretch of form continued at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where Man of the Match Mitchell Johnson and second-innings centurion Chris Rogers sealed a four-nil lead in the five-match affair.
"It's a tough time, when you're losing games of cricket. In this game we got ourselves an opportunity to win it. It probably shows where we're at at the moment as a side, and the levels of confidence," said Cook.
"When you're winning games of cricket you can dominate those positions. When you're struggling for a bit of confidence, you can let those positions slip, and that's what we've done in this game."
Rogers' patient 116, which spanned 155 deliveries and 208 runs, would have read considerably shorter – had Cook not dropped a sharp chance when the batsman was on 19 and wicketkeeeper Bairstow held onto an edge shortly after the lunch break.
"The first half an hour, we created three chances. When it's a low run chase, you need to take those chances. We didn't take them and we got punished. There's a lot of things I struggle to explain," added Cook.
"We're working as hard as we can at our game. That's the only thing we can do in these situations – keep it as simple as you can in your mind, work at every single aspect, desperately trying to improve."
The defeated skipper deflected suggestion that the XI was reasonably unsettled, after spinner Monty Panesar replaced the recently-retired Graeme Swannn and the inexperienced Jonny Bairstow was selected ahead of vice-captain Matt Prior.
"You can't use that as an excuse. That would be taking the easy way out. We've got to just keep working as hard as we can at our game and it will turn eventually – hopefully it will turn next week," he concluded.
"We got ourselves in the position to win this game. We didn't do it. Obviously, when you get yourselves in the position, it hurts more. We've got to dust ourselves off. The support makes us privileged to wear the shirt. We're not quite doing it justice at the moment, but, just to let everyone know, we're trying as hard as we can."
The fifth and final Test will get underway at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday. Five ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals will follow.
Latest
-
News
England Women wrap up 4-1 series victory in New Zealand
Heather Knight top-scored with 35 in England’s chase of 137.
-
England
England will not adopt negative approach after humbling in India – Zak Crawley
England will aim to get ‘Bazball’ back on track this summer against West Indies and Pakistan.
-
Australia
On this day in 2018: Australian trio banned after ball-tampering saga
The trio were handed their punishments on March 28, 2018.
-
County Cricket
Surrey stars eager to help Alec Stewart sign off with more silverware
Stewart has guided Surrey to three County Championship wins during his decade in charge.
-
Women's Cricket
Maia Bouchier smashes 91 as England Women seal T20 series victory
England made 177 for three and then restricted New Zealand to 130 for seven.
-
County Cricket
Yorkshire boosted by Harry Brook and Joe Root’s early-season availability
Both players are not at the Indian Premier League.
-
England
Ollie Pope ‘itching’ to get back scoring runs after ‘frustrating’ tour of India
The England vice-captain hit a superb 196 in Hyderabad, but averaged only 14.75 in the next four Tests of the India series.
-
Women's Cricket
Ellyse Perry says Ashes Test at MCG ‘amazing’ but unsure about four-day return
Australia will host England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the Women’s Ashes early next year.
-
County Cricket
Harry Brook set to return for start of Yorkshire’s County Championship campaign
Brook withdrew from England’s Test tour of India in January due to personal reasons.
-
England
England spinner Tom Hartley expects his exploits in India to be ‘life changing’
Hartley’s second-innings haul of seven for 62 in Hyderabad delivered one England’s greatest ever overseas victories.